Heeled
by Jellyneau
Summary: There he was. The 'Oncoming Storm'...caught, caged, and clad only in his pants...reduced to trying to look adorable enough to adopt in an effort to gain his freedom. But adoption isn't the ticket to freedom the Doctor hoped it would be, and he discovers that if he wants to obtain it, he will will have to make some decisions that could easily change his and Rose's lives forever. AU.
1. Detained

**CHAPTER 1 - Heeled: Detained**

Awareness snuck it's way into the Doctor's mind despite the work it had to go through to get past the heavy blanket of medicated unconsciousness. Behind his weighted lids, his eyes shifted, sensing they were being shrouded from something rather unpleasant. Not sure he actually wanted to find out what it was just yet, the Doctor allowed himself to drift back to unconsciousness for a little bit longer.

The insistent knaw of awareness once again tried to pry him from sleep seventeen minutes later. This time, he felt a bit more inclined to heed it's call. Allowing his eyes to drift slowly open, he was surprised to find his vision more than a bit fuzzy. Working to clear it by trying to focus, he found that only foggy blobs continued to fill his view. Closing and re-opening his eyes did nothing to change the scenery. Okay. Vision useless. Check. If there was a tally, that was definitely on the 'not good' side.

How about hearing? Closing his eyes again, he concentrated on the sounds around him. Soft female voices whispering to each other and quiet shuffling noises filled the air. Female voices? Well, at least his ears were working, as were the auditory processing centres of his brain. One for the 'good news' side of the tally.

How about his memory? The Doctor concentrated on trying to recall how he'd gotten here, wherever 'here' was. Hazy tactile memories of bumping along in the back of a vehicle greeted him. Sadly, along with that came the unwelcome scent memory of stale urine and sweat. Well…that wasn't one for the 'good news' side of the checklist. He had no idea where he was or how he got here. He definitely wasn't on the TARDIS… he could feel she was a good distance from him, but at least likely on the same planet. If the cup was half full, he could add that to the 'good news' tally.

What _did_ he remember? He recalled landing the TARDIS and regaling Rose with… Rose!

His eyes popped open. Where was Rose?!

"RO-" A bolt of electricity tore through his throat and pulsed through his body. Then, as quickly as it started, it stopped. Feeling the pain and paralysis finally recede, his hands flew to his neck to find a thick collar of some kind clasped snugly against his skin. Feeling around it for some sort of clasp, he found none. It was seamless. Must be a fluent polymer of some kind.

Not anxious to bring that sort of pain about again, he decided against calling out once more. At least until he figured out how to neutralize the unit currently holding his voice hostage. At least he assumed that's what it was for.

But where was Rose? Where was _he_ for that matter?

Once again trying his eyes out, he looked around. Still fuzzy, but improving. It appeared he was in a small enclosure of some kind. The walls were dark as was the ceiling, but the front was clear. Some sort of cage. Were there bars? He was unsure, as his eyes weren't allowing for that much detail yet. Reaching out from where he lay on the floor… on a blanket presumably… he felt in front of him. Yup. Bars. Figured. The good news was that at least they weren't made of wood.

Reaching down into his pocket for his sonic, he… damn it. No pocket. Shouldn't have been a surprise, really, given the way today was going. Right. No pocket. No suit. Just pants. Once again, if the cup was still half full, he'd add a tally to the 'plus' side given the fact he was at least wearing _something_ and wasn't lying there naked. Been there, done that. Jack Harkness had been there for that one and he could at least thank the Gods that that particular situation was not being repeated. Waking up being spooned by a randy Time Agent was not his idea of a good time. Unless, of course, the time agent happened to be a particular blonde female of the human persuasion, that is. He sighed. _That_ was never going to happen. Not that he didn't _want_ it to happen. It just _couldn't_. There. Now stop thinking about ravishing Rose Tyler and concentrate on a way to find said human and get her off this planet.

First, however, he needed to sort out where he was and what was going on. Deciding to continue by cataloguing his bodily functions, he focused on taking stock of his body. That was when he realized his muscles were uniformly aching. Only mildly, but still, the feeling was there. Time Lords rarely had aching muscles, but a good six milliampere shock like he received earlier would do it every time. Continuing his analysis, he realized his thigh and his… right buttock… were bruised. Bruised. Hold on…

Doing an internal analysis, he wasn't surprised when his suspicions were confirmed. He'd been drugged. Not once, but twice, if the two sites of injection were anything to go by. Bloody hell. Well wasn't that just _wizard_. Certainly explained his fuzzy eyesight and hazy memory. Further analysing his own chemistry, he was relieved to find that the effects should soon be completely worn off. Probably in a matter of ten minutes, give or take 30 to 40 seconds. Brilliant. All he had to do was wait.

He decided to listen to the noises around him in the meantime and hope that nothing drastic happened before he at least knew how he had gotten here. Getting himself into a sitting position, he closed his eyes and focused on the female voice speaking very quietly from somewhere close by.

"Was down by the river before they caught up with me. I thought I'd actually made it, but I was still in range I guess, cause it got me in the shoulder. I really thought I'd made it," she said, her voice cracking with emotion. The Doctor heard her begin sobbing.

"There, there, love. No point cryin'. Where did you think you'd go, anyhow? Not like there's a community of humans out there havin' a life of their own bein' left in peace to live as they'd like. Don't know what you were runnin' from anyhow. At least you had a decent family you were with. Mine tossed me out on my arse as soon as they saw the arthritis settin' in. Damn bastards. Who's goin' to take me now? No one, that's who. I'm gonna die in here. You'll see," the older sounding woman said bitterly.

The Doctor decided to chance a few words. Maybe if he was quieter… "Excus-"

A zing of electric energy shocked him, but not as strongly as last time. Still, it was enough to silence him again. Damn it.

"Oi… new guy…" the younger woman's voice said, not unkindly, "stop trying to talk, yeah? You're only makin' it worse for yourself."

The Doctor's vision was still a bit foggy, but he could now make out quite a few more details about his surroundings. Certainly enough to notice a hand sticking out angled toward the front of his cage from the cage beside his. "I'm Onyx" she said. "Don't try to tell me your name… it'll just hurt.

The Doctor stuck his hand out of his cage and touched hers in thanks. She patted his hand back. "Oh! I thought you were a just a teenager, maybe… not knowin' to keep quiet, but you're not, are you? Mable - I think he's a stray! I've never met a real stray before!" she said excitedly, obviously still trying to keep her voice down. Turning her attention back to him, she said, "I wonder where you're from? I've always thought there was somewhere out there where humans could go if we escaped. Somewhere safe? With lots of food?"

Stray? Lots of food? A sick feeling was churning in his stomach. He was beginning to understand exactly what kind of trouble he was in. What kind of trouble Rose was likely in as well. The thought made him feel ill.

Just then, he heard a door slam open somewhere across the room. "Hey ho, guys! Suppertime!" a jovial male voice sang. From all around him the sound of movement issued in the cages. He could now make out the bars very clearly and could actually see that across from him was another row of cages. Pink hands gripped bars in the cell across from his, and he thought he could make out brown hands poking out of the cage beside that one. Beside his cage, Onyx began making a small 'Mmmm' sound, which was echoed by the other women in the room. Other people… presumably males… began thumping their fists on the bars. He heard metal grating on metal and then the scraping of something sliding across the floor. The sound was repeated four times before the Doctor finally got a look at the life form causing all the commotion. It was… large. At least fifteen feet tall. And scaley. Definitely scaley. A reptilian species. Well that narrowed the list of planets he could be on by 134 119, anyway. Another tick on the 'plus' side.

The specimen in front of him had four arm-like limbs with hands sprouting no less than eight long fingers each. It was bipedal, but looked like it's species hadn't always been so in its evolutionary history. It's face was quite humanoid in appearance, though the mouth and nose stuck out in a bit of a snout. It looked like its ancestors may have had a tail, but this one didn't. At least not one he could see. It was clothed in a solid blue one piece outfit… probably a uniform of some kind.

The huge being bent down and scooped something out of a bag he was dragging behind him. Then, lifting the metal grate at the bottom of the Doctor's cage, he slid a metal bowl toward the Doctor. "Here you go, fella," he said kindly. Humming and thumping continued to issue around him, but the reptilian male squatted down to look at the Doctor more closely. "I wonder what your story is," he mused. "Well, we'll get you sorted. A good looking fella like you… you'll be adopted in no time."

Bloody hell. Yup. It was exactly what he'd feared. He was in some kind of pet 'rescue' outfit that 'saved' pets from having to exist in nature so they could be placed in caring homes where they could live out their natural existence in, at best - extreme boredom, and at worst - an abusive living hell. And apparently, on this planet, humans were considered pets. Fan-freakin'-tastic.

Watching the large reptile move around the room from the inside of his cage, his anxiety began taking on even more shape. He was stuck here. And if he was available for 'adoption', then what about Rose? Was she in the same situation somewhere else in this facility? Making an effort to think about the last time he'd seen her, he was desperately relieved to find that his memories of how he'd gotten here were finally accessible.

He'd landed the TARDIS here on the planet Epsilon Eridani b, as humans identified it, but it was better known as Danaris Prime to it's inhabitants and the rest of the galaxy. Well, that explained the reptilian species. It was a hot, sandy planet, which, unusually, had a plentiful water supply as well. Perfect for creatures such as these.

Oblivious to any possible threat, he and Rose had blithely begun exploring, as they tended to do. After a bit of a trek, they'd come to the outskirts of a Danarian settlement… a city, really. He remembered telling Rose that he'd never been on this planet before, but that he'd heard it was an advanced, basically peaceful one. There had been a civil war about a century back, but the data banks told him that the century he'd chosen for them to visit was basically a harmless one. And that's when he'd been shot with a tranquilizer.

Sighing, he moved his hand instinctively to the spot on his leg where the first dart had pierced him. Tender. He recalled yelling to Rose to run, but after that there was nothing. He did remember, however, waking in the back of a moving vehicle and being shot again. Before passing out again, he now recalled the gun-toting being saying something about this being the first time he'd ever needed to use two darts on one human.

Well, bullocks.

The room around him was quiet now, with its inhabitants all eating what the massive creature had provided. For its part, the lizard looking being was now rolling the bag of food closed and stuffing it under a shelf. The Doctor considered his options. Maybe this creature would help him? Perhaps if he asked nicely? But how could he do that with this bloody collar around his neck effectively silencing him?

Well, he had to try, didn't he? But first he had to get the giant's attention. Moving to the bars, he banged on them for a moment, hoping that might get the creature to turn around. It didn't. Hmmm. He needed something with a bit more… ah. He banged on the bars again, but this time in the beat of a familiar Gallifreyan children's song. The repetitive rhythm caught the giant's attention and he turned in curiousity.

Having caught the large creatures eyes, the Doctor smiled and gestured to his collar and then pantomimed taking it off.

The Danarian smiled in response. "Hello, there fella," he said happily. "You'd like that collar off, wouldn't you?" he said kindly, clearly not expecting a response.

But that's exactly what he got. The Doctor nodded his head in a big 'affirmative' and looked hopefully at his captor. If he was right about this being, he suspected he might actually have a sympathetic 'ear' in him.

But rather than the positive response he'd hoped for, the Danarian's mouth popped open and a look of horror crossed his reptilian features. "Drit!" he exclaimed. "Did you just… answer me?!" The Doctor nodded once again, hoping against hope that this creature could accept what he was seeing.

"Dear Kila! Are you… wait. Let's see if you can understand something else," he said, more to himself than anyone else. Then, directing his next command directly at the Doctor, he said, "Pick up a piece of food and give it to me."

Knowing an opportunity when one presented itself, the Doctor complied by bending down, picking up a bit of dry brown 'food' and reaching out of the bars with it toward the Danarian. The large reptile's jaw dropped in wonder as he reached out to take the piece of food the Doctor was offering him. "Well drop a dried bridla on my back. I've never…" he said in awe. Then, his eyes lighting with another idea, he said, "Pick up your blanket, fold it in half, and put it in the corner."

Hating the fact that a being of his intelligence was being ordered about like a trained seal, he nevertheless quickly moved to do as he was told. He couldn't afford to waste an opportunity to communicate with this being. This was his best chance of finding Rose in any timely manner. The Danarian responded as he'd hoped, and, completely flabbergasted, opened the Doctor's cage. Gesturing to his collar once again, the Doctor looked imploringly up at the reptilian being. "Will wonders never cease," the Danarian whispered reverently, laying out his hand on the floor to entice the Doctor to come forward. Never one to disappoint, the Doctor moved slowly out of his cell, standing at full height, but still looking _way_ up into the face of the Danarian, despite the fact he was kneeling. "You're some kind of miracle, you are!" the Danarian said reverently. "I have to tell Marklin about you. He'll never believe me!"

Just then, the door of the room opened and another Danarian walked in. If it was possible, this one was even taller than the one the Doctor had been interacting with. "Ommer, what have I said about playing with the humans? You've got a job to do… we're not paying you to prattle away your time with them. Now, the small white human… 'Cloudy', I think she's called, is slated to get her shots and the pens in room 11 still need tending to," the new Danarian said, clearly unimpressed with Ommer's attempts to bond with the humans in his charge.

"Sorry, boss," Ommer said, a bit deflated. Gently shuffling the Doctor back in his cage by patting him on the arse to encourage him to move, he was about to click the cage door shut when the Doctor made a break for it.

Dashing through the crack of the rapidly closing cage door, the Doctor made a run for it, deftly racing between Ommer and his boss to get to the open door behind them. "Damn it!" he heard Ommer's boss say as the Doctor made it out into the hallway. Which direction? The hall stretched seemingly forever in both directions and doors lined both sides. Rose could be in any of them, assuming she was even here. Maybe she'd escaped? With any luck she was waiting for him at the TARDIS. Oh… if that were only likely. Once again, given his luck today, he figured the chances of that were slim to none.

He didn't have much time to contemplate all of this however, as the two Danarians quickly appeared in the hall behind him and made to grab him. He managed to lunge just in time to miss the bosses attempt to nab him, but as he jumped he felt an arm reach around his waist and easily lift him from the ground. Ommer had somehow managed to swipe him up as he dodged the boss and now had him unceremoniously tucked under his lower arm so his arms and legs dangled toward the ground in a decidedly undignified way.

"Whoa, fella!" Ommer said, ruffling the Doctor's hair with one of his many free hands. "Sneaky little devil," he said reprovingly.

Ommer's boss huffed from somewhere behind him, "Bloody strays." The Doctor could hear the boss mumbling to himself as he stalked away.

"Never mind him, fella. He's always like that," Ommer shared, turning to go back into the room the Doctor had originally found himself in. "Now you need to behave or the boss'll have you put down. Wish I could take you home, but the wife'd kill me!. Already got two humans and a Silurian as it is," he sighed, opening the Doctor's cage and untucking him from his armpit. Putting the Doctor down in the middle of the floor, the large creature once again ruffled the Doctor's hair and pat his back before quickly pulling back from the cage and closing the door rapidly before the Doctor could dash out once again. Ommer then retreated from the room flicking out the lights as he went, apparently off to do his bosses' bidding.

The Doctor watched the Danarian leave and felt his hope fading. It looked like he was stuck here for the time being. Sitting in a dark cement floored cell with nothing but a blanket, a food bowl, a hose like water source hanging at waist height through the bars, and a hole in the floor in the corner to relieve himself in, the Doctor decided he might as well settle in for a bit. There wasn't anything he could do at the moment but wait, which ate at him. He'd been in much worse situations than this before, but it wasn't himself he was worried about. He was more worried about his jeopardy friendly companion who was out there somewhere on her own.


	2. Decided Upon

**CHAPTER 2 - Heeled: Decided Upon**

The Doctor woke suddenly to the sound of the excited voices of children and the footfalls of Danarian feet outside his cell. He'd surprisingly fallen asleep three hours and eight minutes ago. He must've been more exhausted by his experiences yesterday than he'd realized. The loud chatter of the reptilian children and their parents filled the echoey room and the Doctor could sense the humans in the other cells shifting and moving around in response.

"Mommy! Look at this one!" the Doctor heard a little female Danarian exclaim as she neared a cage a couple over from his. She must be looking at Mable. "She's got blue eyes, Mommy! Karith has one with blue eyes. She called hers 'Ocean'."

"That's a good name, sweety," he heard the mother say, "but this one is too old, honey. It won't be able to play with you much," she said.

"Mable! I think the little girl likes you! I wonder if they have other humans," the Doctor heard Onyx say. Of course, she hadn't understood what the Danarian had said, with the language being ridiculously difficult for even a gifted human to decipher. He was a bit thankful for that, given Mable's sad lament of the night before.

Ushering the child further along the row, the family stopped in front of his cage. The child was about nine feet tall and her mother was about fourteen feet. The male was quite impressively large, probably a good seventeen feet tall. "Oh! Mommy! I like this one! He's so cute!"

"He is pretty cute, isn't he?" the large female replied, kneeling to get a better look at the Doctor through the bars of his cage.

Really hating the idea of being sized up for 'cuteness', the Doctor nevertheless decided he should maybe make an effort to look appealing. If he could get the doors of the cage open, he might be able to actually make a good break for it this time. Sitting up a bit straighter, he glued a smile to his face. Best look friendly, he decided. Part of him withered. The 'Oncoming Storm' reduced to this.

"Awwww! Look at him!" the little girl cooed.

"I thought we were looking for a female," the large male said, looking down at the Doctor dubiously. Maybe males were considered too aggressive or something, the Doctor thought.

The little reptile frowned a bit, considering. "Yeah. I want a girl human," she said decidedly. "But I don't like any of these ones," she pouted, turning and looking around at the other cages.

"There are some more in the next room," the father said, obviously pleased his daughter was talked out of getting a male.

More in the next room? That sounded promising. Maybe Rose was right next door? He hoped desperately she wasn't. He hoped that she was waiting for him at the TARDIS instead, but he wasn't naive enough to believe in that kind of luck.

Time passed by during the day with various individuals and families of Danarians passing through the room and by his cage. The teenage boy across from him had been taken by a family earlier. He actually looked quite pleased with the entire affair. Poor kid had no idea what else was out there in the universe… that freedom was even a possibility. At least he didn't look afraid. That would've been even harder to watch.

More time passed. He'd yet to try the food placed in the cell and luckily he hadn't had to relieve himself yet. The thought of such a private activity being made public was terrifically _not_ appealing. He'd passed the time listening to the people around him in the other cages and by carefully testing out the sensitivity of his collar by trying to whisper. The collar didn't like that much, but the sting of the electric shock wasn't nearly as severe as when he actually vocalized. Still, it was decidedly unpleasant. At least he knew that if he _had_ to, he could possibly whisper a word or two without much lingering pain.

It was mid-afternoon when a Danarian child stopped in front of his cage. It's parents were just across from it looking at another human. It was only about four feet tall. Must be a toddler. "Hue!" it said, reaching inside the cage with one of it's chubby lizard arms. A larger child, this one about ten feet tall also stopped in front of his cage. A sibling?

"Hu-_man_," the larger child said, correcting the toddler.

"Hue!" the smaller child said again, continuing to try to reach for the Doctor. In an effort to appear 'child friendly' the Doctor crawled to the bars and reached out to the child, allowing it to touch his arm.

The child squealed in delight and forcefully yanked the Doctor's arm through the bars so his shoulder was wedged painfully up against them.

"Mika!" the older child yelled, obviously feeling responsible for supervision of the younger tot. "Mommy! Mika's killing this human!"

"NO! Mika, no! No pulling!" the mother ran over, finally seeing the state of the human her son was dismembering and quickly physically making the boy loosen his grip on the Doctor's arm. "You have to be gentle!"

The Doctor pulled his arm back inside the cage and rubbed his now aching shoulder a bit. Not wishing to appear stand off-ish, though, he stayed put, kneeling near the front of the cage, making an effort to smile up at the child before him.

"He sure is friendly," the child's father commented, seemingly amazed at the Doctor's reaction to such treatment.

"I like his markings," the older child said, smiling down at him. Markings? What markings? He had a mole between his shoulder blades. That's the only marking he could think of.

"There's a brown one over here," the father said, moving down the row and out of the Doctor's line of vision. The female lizard creature didn't follow right away, but stood looking at him for a moment, tilting her head slightly as if considering him. The Doctor gave her an energetic smile, and he thought he saw the sides of her lizardy lips quirking up at the corners. A smile. That was a good sign.

"Come over here, Sanjay," the male's voice said from down the row. "Look at this one," he said. The older child, likely called 'Sanjay', skipped out of view toward his father. The female gave the Doctor one last look and followed the male, taking one of Mika's hands to encourage him to come with her. The toddler didn't want to follow, however, and made a fussy hissing sound. The mother obviously decided the boy would be alright for a moment, and moved to look at whatever, or _whoever_ the rest of her family was looking at.

Left without supervision in it's immediate vicinity, the toddler sat down on the floor and reached inside the bars once again in an effort to grab the Doctor. Not allowing the child..Mika... to get a good grip on him, he scooted away from the bars a bit to avoid the painful repercussions of the toddler's excitement. The large baby responded by trying to push his arm inside the cage even further. Making sure he couldn't actually grab him, the Doctor took the toddler's hand in both of his. The little lizard's scales were smooth, and thankfully, it's fingers ended in clearly trimmed 'nails' rather than the talons the Doctor feared. The child stopped his sounds in response to the Doctor's soft touch, and simply let the Doctor stroke his hand. Within a minute, Mika's eye began to droop and he leaned his head against the bars of the cage. If only he could sing, this tot would be asleep in seconds, the Doctor thought.

The voices of the child's parents drifted over as they approached his cage again and the mother's surprise at the state of her son was obvious. "Lim, look at this! It's put Mika to sleep!"

"You're kidding," the male said, gobsmacked. "Well look at that."

"Oh, Lim… we have to get him. Mika loves him. And he really is cute. I love his hair… it's so ruffley," she said hopefully.

"Well, Mika does sure seem to like him," the male agreed. "Alright. Let's find out about his history and stuff and then we can decide, okay?"

"Okay," she smiled, clearly happy with their choice. Scooping up the drowsy toddler into her arms, she smiled down at him and followed her mate out of the room.

Brilliant! Now all he had to do was look for an opportunity to slip away from these creatures once the cage was opened. Shouldn't be too difficult. They were big, but their size might actually make them a bit less spry.

The Doctor waited impatiently until finally, nine minutes later, the family returned with another Danarian in tow. He hadn't seen this one yet. "He's a stray," the new female said, not unkindly. "I think he was probably someone's pet because he's clearly been groomed lately. No mircotags, though, so he's adoptable," she said, checking her clipboard.

"He certainly seems tame enough," the one called 'Lim' said. "Even pet our son to sleep!"

"He's a real cutie," the female worker said, smiling down at him. The Doctor smiled back, still working to look utterly 'adoptable'. "He's a bit of a runner, though, so you'll have to keep him leashed for sure," she warned, still looking down at him.

He frowned a bit at that. A runner? One lousy attempt at freedom and he was labelled.

"Oh, don't worry about that. We're planning on having him trained," Lim said, authoritatively.

"Always a good idea, that," the working reptile said approvingly. "Even the most friendly human can benefit from training."

Training? The Doctor didn't like the sound of that. Well, he had no intention of sticking around long enough to be 'trained', so he wasn't going to worry about it too much.

"Can we take his collar off when we get home, Daddy?" the older child asked, staring through the bars at the Doctor.

The Doctor quite liked that idea and nodded enthusiastically at the suggestion. He was liking this child more and more by the minute. The child's mouth popped open, having seen the Doctor's obvious attempt at communication.

"Mommy! Did you see that?! He nodded at me!" Sanjay said, amazed.

"Sure, he did, sweety," his mother said, patting the boy's head.

"No! Mommy - he did! He nodded!" the boy insisted.

"Alright, Sanjay. I'm sure he did. Now let's make room so the lady can take him out," Sanjay's mother placated, clearly putting the boy's claims down to his imagination.

The boy complied and moved aside to let the worker open the door to his cage. Seeing an opportunity, the Doctor made to dash out of the cage, but the large reptile snagged him by the back of his collar. "Oh no, you don't!" she admonished, effectively halting him by throttling him.

His hands flew to his collar to try to relive some of the pressure against his windpipe, but the worker didn't let go. Instead, she held him fast for a moment longer and slipped a thick hook around the back of the collar. Finally releasing him, the Doctor dropped to his knees at her feet, trying to regain his breath. In front of his eyes, the worker passed a bright green leash to the large male.

"See what I mean? A bit of a runner," the worker smiled. "He just needs time to get used to a family again, I think."

Lim looked down at the Doctor. "We'll set him straight soon enough," he said, obviously feeling the need to maintain some level of control over this entire endeavor. Well, the Doctor had plans of his own, and they _didn't_ include being 'set straight'.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The trip to the family's home began with a stop in the gift shop. And while the Doctor always liked a little shop, he had to admit he wasn't keen on visiting this one for long. His leash had been handed to the older child, Sanjay, and he was ordered to 'sit' beside Sanjay's feet while the rest of the family went in the shop to look around. They all seemed quite amazed that he followed their command so easily, and the large female even, quite annoyingly, ruffled his hair in a supposed gesture of praise.

While they waited for his parents, Sanjay seemed quite content to hang out by the entrance with the Doctor, even if he did accidently tug too hard on the collar a few times, resulting in something akin to whiplash for his 'pet'.

While they waited, the doctor kept his eye out for any sign of Rose. He doubted he'd be lucky enough to see her out in the hallway, but he wasn't about to miss any possible opportunity he might have to find her. While he scanned the area and sat obediently beside the child who apparently held his freedom in his hands, he considered his options, or lack thereof.

He could probably prize the leash away from the boy if he was holding it loosely, but his father had insisted he wrap the end of the leash around his wrist a few times, citing their new human's penchant for trying to make a break for it. So much for that idea. He could 'play dead'? Maybe if he feigned illness, they'd take him somewhere else in this building where he might have a better chance at escape? No. Chances are he'd just end up in a cage again or tied to some table to be examined, stuck for who knows how long, with likely less opportunity for freedom than he had now.

The Doctor sighed. It looked like, at least for now, compliance was the order of the day. He needed to make these creatures think he wasn't going to be a problem so they let their guard down. The thought irked him. The idea of enslaving a sentient race for amusement was hardly new. Humans even took part in it. But that didn't make it any more acceptable. And here he was, effectively on the 'other side of the fence', so to speak. It seemed he was perhaps lucky to have been enslaved by a decent family, as far as he could tell so far. And, as he reluctantly acknowledged already, he needed this family to trust him and think him the epitome of obedience so they'd give him a bit more freedom. So when the child's father, Lim, came out of the shop with a large crate, the Doctor did his best to not look as completely mortified as he felt. They meant to 'kennel him'. Fan-bloody-tastic. Unsure what that exactly would look like in this culture, he decided not to lament too much about it yet. Perhaps they just meant to have him in it while in their vehicle? He could hope.

The large female came out of the shop next carrying the now sleeping toddler and a few bags of purchased items, presumably for the new addition to their family.

"Okay Sanjay, let's get going," Lim said, nodding down at his son to get the Doctor moving.

"Common, boy!" Sanjay said, tugging on the Doctor's collar, thankfully, not too forcefully. The Doctor stood right away.

The family made their way out of the building with the Doctor in tow. Outside, the evening air was quite warm and dry. The ground was sandy and still quite warm under his feet, even though the sun (or suns?) had already set. They maneuvered their way through a parking lot of sorts… the vehicles were seemingly haphazardly left by their owners at whatever angle they'd entered the parking lot in. Finally they reached an open air vehicle with spiky tires, presumably good for giving some traction in sand. There were no doors… that was promising.

Lim put the crate on the ground beside the Doctor and opened the door. "Awwww, Daddy can't he sit on my lap?" Sanjay asked, disappointed.

"No, he has to go in the crate, son," Lim said, leaving no room for argument. "If he got away from you in the car he could jump out and hurt himself. He's safer in the crate."

Sanjay pouted, but said no more, and passed the leash to his father. The Doctor thought for a moment that the large reptile was going to undo his leash before ushering him into the crate, maybe creating an opening for escape. But no luck.

"In you go, big fella," he said, guiding the Doctor forward with his huge hand on the Doctor's back.

Once again deciding he'd best prove himself an ideal pet, he ducked into the crate.

The crate itself was about four feet tall… obviously not made to stand in. It looked a lot like one of those large plastic crates humans used to move cats around in, with a grated front door and plastic-like walls studded with a few slats for air and a bit of a view. Since the family had just purchased it, it didn't have a blanket or anything lining it. The Doctor sat cross legged in the middle of it and waited for Lim to close the door.

"You know… I have to say… this little guy is really well behaved, except for the running off," he said, his voice betraying his surprise. The Doctor wasn't sure what he'd been expecting, but it seems this wasn't what most humans did upon being newly 'adopted'. He imagined this would be a pretty frightening adventure for most humans who likely were quite sheltered in their knowledge of this world and their place on it.

Lim shut the door of the crate and locked it. Human proof, the Doctor mused. The room around him then shifted and swayed as the giant lizard lifted the crate into the vehicle. He was obviously trying not the jostle the cage, for which the Doctor was grateful… there wasn't anything inside to hang onto. Finally, the cage settled in the middle of the back seat and Sanjay hopped up to sit beside the crate. On the other side, the little lizard's mother had nestled Mika, the toddler, into a basket-like seat where he snored softly in little hissing breaths.

Within moments, the vehicle was moving. Further and further away from where Rose might still be caged up. As they rolled away, the Doctor worked on using a portion of his considerable intelligence to catalogue the direction they were going and the distance they were putting between them and the 'Rescue Centre' as he'd heard the workers call it.

Beside him, the boy was babbling at him through the slats in the crate. "You can sleep with me in my bed," the boy said happily, poking his dark, also thankfully trim nailed, finger through one of the slats.

"Well… what should we call him?" his mother's voice said over the hum of the moving vehicle.

Call him? Oh, dear Gods. He was going to be 'named'. This should be interesting.

"I like 'Brownie'!" Sanjay piped from beside him. 'Brownie'? "Cause his hair and his eyes are brown!" Sanjay said triumphantly.

"That's a good name," his mother chimed, "but Uncle Ustice already has a human called 'Brownie', remember?"

"Oh yeah," the boy said deflated.

Well thank-Gods for _that_, the Doctor sighed.

"What about… 'Dasher'?" Lim suggested from the front seat.

"Oh - I like that," his wife said, smiling back, peering through the bars at the Doctor. "He's already tried to dash away from us once," she grinned.

How about 'Killer', the Doctor thought, already deciding he wasn't going to be able to take this for much longer. Okay, 'Killer' was probably a bit strong. They weren't necessarily 'bad' reptiles. They were just misinformed and mislead. Perhaps… 'Pisser'. Cause that was at least what he wanted to do on their carpet once they got to their destination. Rassilon… what had he become? Was he actually considering urinating on their things just to show his dislike for his situation?

Yes. Yes he was. So sad.

From the other side of the crate, a pudgy reptilian finger prodded through one of the slats. "Hue," he said, trying to push his scaley digit further inside the crate. "Mommy, Hue!" he said.

"Oh! Lim… I like that! Let's call him 'Hue'! That's the first thing Mika said when he saw him. I love it!" the tot's mother sang. "What do you think, Sanjay?" she said turning to the older child.

The child thought for a moment, clearly considering the benefits of 'Hue' versus 'Dasher'. "Okay… I like 'Hue'. And Mika can say it already. He probably couldn't even say 'Dasher' anyway," he reasoned.

"Great," Lim said, his voice pleasant. "'Hue' it is, then."

Fantastic. Well, he'd been called worse, he knew. And certainly it was better than 'Dasher'. Not that any of this mattered, as he planned to be free in the next twenty-four hours anyhow, at which time he and Rose would be sitting in the galley, having a cuppa and chatting about all this. No… better make that 48 hours. He'd need some time to set all this right, of course. He couldn't very well let this treatment of humans and any other sentient beings they had as pets on this planet continue. Then he and Rose would be adding this situation to their list of exciting and interesting experiences they'd shared before moving on to even more interesting, and hopefully even less threatening, ones.


	3. Welcomed

CHAPTER 3 - Heeled: Welcomed

They'd managed to make it back to the family dwelling without event, though by the time they arrived the Doctor actually found himself getting chilly. The warm desert air had begun to cool and without clothing, other than his pants, his skin was actually feeling a bit cooler than usual as the wind had whipped around him in the crate as they drove.

Lim carried the crate out of the vehicle, bumping the Doctor this way and that as they entered the building. The home itself looked like some sort of communal dwelling, with a main entrance that branched off into downward sloping corridors, the Doctor noted. The family descended into the leftmost branch of the tunnel-like hallway and continued past a few recessed doors until they reached an alcove with a green painted door.

Settling the crate on the floor, Lim and Yula escorted the children into their version of a 'flat' before returning to lug the crate in behind them. Jostled, the Doctor hung on to the front bars as they made their way down a hallway in the flat. Lim finally rested the crate in a corner of what looked like a maintenance room of some kind.

"We don't have to keep him in there, do we?" Sanjay asked, coming up behind his father. "I wanted him to sleep with me," the boy entreated. The Doctor wholly agreed, but didn't want to make his wishes too obvious, as this might clue Lim into the fact that he had designs on using the situation to his advantage. At the moment, it was best to let the family believe he didn't know what they were saying, so he simply stared out the bars at his captors.

"He should stay in here for the first few nights, Sanjay," the father told his son. "The books all say he'll be happier that way and it'll give him time to get used to his new home slowly."

What bloody books were those? Likely 'Caring for your Human' or some such drivel written by Dr. Pet McPetterson, Human Specialist. Bloody prats. He realized he was being bitter, but found he couldn't help himself at the moment. All he wanted to do was find Rose and find out who ran this god-forsaken planet so he could do something about this situation on a bigger level.

"Can we let him out for a bit tonight, though, Daddy? I want him to see my room," Sanjay said in what probably passed for a whiney voice in Danarian.

Lim looked at his watch and then looked back at Sanjay. "I guess we can let him out for a bit. But after you'll have to go straight to bed, okay?"

"Okay!" Sanjay replied enthusiastically before bending down in front of the cage to open it. Fiddling with the lock for a few moments, he grunted, "I can't get it open!"

"Stand back, buddy," the large male said, moving in. "It's supposed to be hard to open, 'cause some humans are pretty smart and can sort out the more simple locks."

The Doctor tried to look nonchalant about the entire affair, but did his best to glance over as Lim moved in. Sadly, the lock was intentionally made to be out of view of the captive it secured so the Doctor couldn't see it from where he sat.

Watch," he said. Sanjay looked on intently as his father keyed the five digit code into the electronic lock. The lock beeped loudly with each button Lim pressed. Ha! A human probably wouldn't be able to hear the difference between the beeping sounds the keys made, but he could. He committed them to memory as Lim typed them in. Well, that was a relief. Now all he had to do was wait until the family slept and he could see about getting out of this place.

The door swung open and both Lim and Sanjay moved back to make room. Bending down to look inside the cage, they both watched as the Doctor sat looking back at them, not wanting to look too eager to get out.

"Common, boy," Sanjay said, trying use his best 'indoor voice' so as not to frighten the little human.

"You should call him 'Hue', buddy," Lim coached his son. "That way he'll learn his name faster."

The Doctor groaned inwardly. Surely most humans could sort out their new name pretty quickly when in these situations. Wasn't even rocket science, after all. How dumb did these creatures think humans were, anyway?

"Okay. Common, Hue!" Sanjay said a bit more excitedly this time.

The Doctor, looking at the expectant eyes of the two Danarians staring back at him, decided once again to do as he was bid. It would give him a chance to check out the layout of the place, anyhow.

Getting onto his hands and knees, he crawled out of the box and slowly stood. His muscles groaned in protest at being scrunched in the small space for the last while, so he stretched out a bit while looking around the room.

They were, in fact, in a storage room of some kind. Large shelves were stocked with boxes and jars and in one corner stood what looked like the equivalent of what looked like a rake. The floor in this room was also sand, the Doctor noted, digging his bare toes into it. Actually felt good compared to the smooth hard floor in the shelter.

"He likes it, Dad! Told you he'd like it here," Sanjay said, still staring wide-eyed at his new pet, reaching out his hand for the Doctor to… what? Sniff? Stand on? The Doctor didn't know quite what was expected, so he settled on touching the boys hand with his own.

"He seems to, doesn't he."

"Can I pick him up?" the boy asked, eager to take part in the full extent of the new pet owner experience. The Doctor backed up a bit at the boy's question, trying not to be too obvious about understanding it. He didn't relish being manhandled by anyone right now let alone an overexcited reptilian child.

"No, bud, let's just let him look around. He needs a bit more time to get used to us before we go picking him up and stuff, okay?" he said, in a wise, fatherly way. The Doctor was grateful for his insight, even if he did get the advice from Dr. McPet's bloody book.

The boy looked a bit disappointed, but was quickly distracted when the Doctor decided to get this show on the road. Taking a few steps forward, looking at the Danarians to make sure this was all still good, he continued when they merely watched with interest. The Doctor walked to the massive door and peered out, aware that there were a few things he should be a bit wary of in his current situation. One - he may not be the only 'pet' in the house, meaning that another Time Lord sized sentient being might also be living here. Two - there was a very large toddler lurking somewhere who was ¾ his size, but was really quite strong and unpredictable, as toddlers will be. Three - given the scale of the house compared to his relative size, there were a number of hazards he might run into if he wasn't careful.

For a moment he was able to see a small parallel with the humans who found themselves inside the TARDIS for the first time. Surprised by the relative size and likely more than a bit worried they'd find even more unpredictable aliens than him living in it. The difference was, though, that he actually respected humans for what they were, which was more than this lot did. He also gave them choices. Travelling with him wasn't mandatory. Or even recommended, most of the time. But in the end, they all had actually _chosen_ to be with him. Well… Teagan was maybe one exception, though it wasn't like he hadn't _tried_ to get her back home sooner than he did, he reflected.

Lost in his thoughts for a moment, he was goaded into movement again when he was noticed by Yula who had just come out of a room off to the right. "Oh! Look who's out and about!" she cooed at him looking down from on high with her hands on her lizardy hips.

Best head in the opposite direction, he figured, seeing as she was likely coming from Mika's room… he was anxious to avoid the toddler for the time being. Walking along one side of the rock walled hallway toward what looked like a great room of some kind, he cautiously peeked in a room he passed on his way. A bedroom, it looked like, with a plain blanket draped across what appeared to be a slightly raised platform. He couldn't tell what the blanket covered, but he guessed it was some sort of soft wood of some kind. Probably the parent's bedroom. The walls were rock in here also, but growing out of a few rocky ledges were green plants, making the room look more inviting. Up high on the far wall he could see horizontally slatted windows. He could likely scale the walls and make it to the window ledge quite easily, but not without notice. It was definitely worth noting though, if other options didn't present themselves. Deciding not to spend too much more time investigating here, he moved on and made his way further down the hall.

Behind him, the Danarians followed, chatting about his progress so far and wondering what he was thinking right now. "He's probably wondering where he is. I read that humans are quite anxious when they're first introduced to new places" Lim said, sounding like an authority on human behaviour. He suddenly wished he could just turn around and give them an earful of what he was thinking. But he gathered himself together again and tried to press ahead, knowing that such an outburst would lead to nothing constructive. He'd be able to give these beings an earful soon enough.

On the right a large room opened up to reveal a kitchen and ahead of him was a living area. Deciding to check out the living room first, he moved ahead to enter the larger space. Ahead of him were some long wooden 'logs' arranged so they looked formed a teepee shape. Each log was a few feet wide and the entire structure stood at least eight feet in the air at its centre. Across from it, hanging on the stone wall, was a panel which likely housed either a communications device or a media screen of some kind.

Sanjay quickly moved into the living room behind him and made his way to one of the logs to climb up onto it. Once he was near the top, he stopped and settled in to look at the Doctor whose head was a couple feet below.

"He looks surprised," Sanjay said. "I wonder if he's ever seen a log lounger before?"

Ah. A couch. For lizards. Fantastic. Made sense, he guessed.

Lim entered the room and stood behind the Doctor gazing down at him. "Maybe not. Depends where he lived before now."

"Mommy, can we make a house for him under the lounger? I could put a little bed in there for him so he can visit with us when we watch the viewer," Sanjay suggested.

"I guess so, Sanjay, but not tonight. You have to go to bed in a minute. Maybe tomorrow, okay?" Yula said, hoping the boy wouldn't kick up a fuss.

"Awwwwww! But I want him to sleep with me. He'll be lonely in the closet. Can't he stay in my room?" the boy lamented.

Lim piped in, "I told you, Sanjay… we're going to let him get used to us slowly. Maybe in a few nights, if he's doing okay he can sleep with you, alright?"

The boy huffed and stomped off.

Lim hissed out a sigh. "Some days…"

Yula grinned. "I know. He's just excited about Hue, that's all," she said looking down at the Doctor, who was now gingerly exploring the perimeter of the room, not needing to really pretend to not be interested in their conversation.

Lim's lips pursed. "I suppose," he agreed. "Well, I suppose we should put Hue to bed as well," he said, obviously ready for this day to be over.

"Why don't you go tuck Sanjay in, Lim. I'll deal with Hue." Lim nodded, looking down the hallway toward his now cranky son. "And don't forget to make sure he grinds his teeth. They're looking pretty dull lately," Yula advised.

Lim nodded again and trudged down the hall and away from the front room.

During all this, the Doctor had been busily looking into the various nooks and crannies in the room to see if there were any ways he might find freedom more easily than scaling the walls. He did find some semblance of hope when he came across an upward sloping tunnel ending in a round door. Must lead outside, he figured. Maybe to a back yard of some kind. Well, that was promising.

Yula saw him eying it and came to stand near the exit. Smiling down at him, she said, "Don't even think of it, mister," she said in mock warning. "Sanjay would be heart-broken if you disappeared. And you really are a cutie. I have to say… I wasn't sure about getting a human. It's been so long since I've had a pet. But you… you're pretty amazing, I think. Something special about you," she said, kneeling in front of the Doctor, obviously moving slowly so as not to spook him.

The Doctor just stood still and watched her as she knelt. The angles of the female's face weren't as harsh looking as those of the males. She was actually sort of attractive, in a lizard-y kind of way. She had expressive eyes and her feelings were easily read on her scaley features. A surprising trait, given the relative lack of such on the reptile's earth cousins.

As she knelt, she seemed to be trying to figure him out. He merely stared back, quite aware that she might be able to figure out his facial expressions if she'd been around humans before. "I wonder what you've seen in your life," she said softly, still watching him intently. "Some Danarians think humans don't have feelings, but I think you do. You little guys can be so expressive, can't you? Like...you seem… sad," she said, her reptilian features forming into a frown. "I wonder if you've lost your family or something. Poor little thing. Something tells me you've had a hard life so far… whatever's happened."

The Doctor suddenly felt quite on display. More so now than he had at any other time during this whole ordeal. The Doctor ducked his head, quite aware that the female's words had unexpectedly pierced his usually sturdy emotional armor. Unable to simply deflect the woman's words by quipping something back, he found himself at a loss as to how to deal with the feelings that were surfacing. A hard life. Ha! If only it were that simple. And if it were only _one_. But it wasn't only one, was it. It was ten. Well… eleven, if he was honest. But then, when was he honest? Even with himself? And yes… he'd lost his family. His whole species, in fact!

Tears were actually prickling in his eyes.

No. He wasn't going to do this. Not here. These beings didn't deserve to see feelings he'd not even dared to truly acknowledge he even had anymore.

Swallowing and working to gather himself together, he turned away from the massive creature currently watching his every move.

He wanted to hate her. This… creature. These...

But what were they? Really? Were they tyrants? Not really. They were clearly well-meaning. Just incredibly mislead and misinformed. He was sure not all Danarians were as caring for their pets as this family seemed to be, but as far as this particular lot went, well… he couldn't be too hard on them. They just needed to be made aware. They needed to be told that what they were doing here was wrong. He wasn't positive, but he was pretty sure that at least these Danarians would reconsider the way they interacted with humans and other species if they knew their real potential.

"Okay, Yula. Sanjay's in bed and Mika's sleeping," he heard the male Danarian say as he entered the room.

"Thanks, honey," she said, looking up at him.

"What'cha doing?" Lim asked, kneeling beside her on the floor, putting his top arm around her shoulder.

"Just watching Hue," she said wistfully. "He just seems so sad."

Lim watched as the Doctor wandered away toward the far wall. "Hmmm. Well, he probably is. I mean… he was a stray, so he probably misses being outside doing whatever he wants. But he'll like it here once he realizes there's non-stop food. And Sanjay will keep him busy, I'm sure," Lim said, convinced by his own argument.

"You're probably right. I just hate seeing animals unhappy."

"Well, let's get him in his kennel for tonight. He's got a big day tomorrow," Lim said, getting up and offering two hands to Yula to help her up. "I've got an appointment at the vet for him for his shots and stuff."

The information stopped the Doctor in his tracks. Shots and stuff? What stuff? And what 'shots', exactly? Well, if his idea went to plan, he wouldn't be around tomorrow for any of that, so why worry, right? Right. He just had to concentrate tonight on freedom and all this would be behind him for good.


	4. Exploration

**CHAPTER 4 - Heeled: Exploration**

The Doctor sat in his kennel in the closet, waiting until the house fell silent. It took an hour or so before he stopped hearing noises of any kind, and then he waited another thirty minutes before deciding to actively work on escaping. The cupboard was dark, but the family had left the door open a crack and light from down the hall filtered in a little to give him a bit of illumination to work by.

The bars of the kennel were wide enough for him to fit his arm through, and he was able to feel the lock easily enough. He'd listened to Lim type in the code earlier and had memorized the sequence. Now he just had to figure out which buttons correlated with which tones and he could type in the code. The problem was that the beeping of the buttons on the lock was fairly loud. It was quite possible the family would hear if he started messing with them. Perhaps if he covered the entire mechanism with something as he keyed in the code they might not hear.

But what to cover it with? Looking down at the blanket at his feet, he drew it up to try to pull it through the bars. It very nearly didn't fit through, but with a bit of effort, he finally pried it out from inside the cage. Whew! For a moment there he had a vision of himself standing there starkers, using his pants as a noise buffer. Very unbecoming. As if this wasn't already a rather undignified look for a Time Lord as it was.

Reaching over, he awkwardly flung the blanket over the top of the kennel, hoping it might hang off the top of the cage to cover the lock. It took a few tries, but he finally got it draped the way he wanted it. It probably wouldn't muffle the sound much, but it was better than nothing.

Reaching under the blanket, he felt for the buttons on the lock. Taking his best guess as to the position of the first tone, he pressed a key. What felt like an incredibly loud 'beep' issued from the device. The Doctor stood stock still, listening intently for any movement in the house.

Nothing.

He let out a breath he hadn't been aware he'd been holding.

He'd been lucky and hit the correct key on his first try. Using the tone of that key as a guide, he pressed another key. Another loud 'beep' rang through the closet. Again he waited. Once again, the house remained quiet.

He'd hit the second key correctly. Pressing of the third key produced the same results, with him once again choosing the correct button.

Two more.

He pressed the next button and immediately regretted it. Damn it! Damn, damn, damnity, damn! The sound of the wrong tone barely finished reverberating through his ears when the device let out a loud negative buzzing sound.

The Doctor froze. In moments he heard a shuffling sound from somewhere down the hall. Damn!

Waiting, not even daring to breathe, he kept listening. The shuffling stopped. He waited. The house grew quiet once again. Must've been someone turning over in their sleep.

Deciding not to chance the buttons again right away, he waited until the house was silent for another few minutes before daring to try again.

Finally feeling it was safe to give it another go, he keyed in the sequence he'd been right about so far, correctly assuming that after a certain amount of time the lock would reset. He paused momentarily when he reached digit he'd keyed in incorrectly last time. Holding his breath, he squeezed his eyes shut and pressed the button he supposed would've been a better choice the first time round. He was desperately relieved when only the happy sound of the correct tone played for him. He breathed out a sigh.

One more.

Putting his finger on the button he hoped would cause the lock to release, he sucked in a breath and pushed. After the joyous sound rang out indicating that the last key was correctly depressed, the lock clicked open.

Allowing himself a silent celebratory pat on the back, he quietly swung the cage door open and crawled out, careful not to close it all the way behind him. Standing, he gave himself a moment to stretch. Whatever bloody book recommended such a small cage for a full sized male human should be banned from the bookshelves, as far as he was concerned.

Right. Now down to business.

Moving out into the hall, he listened carefully, once again checking to make sure he hadn't been heard. His ears were greeted with silence. Fantastic.

Creeping out into the hall, he made his way to the great room and headed straight for the upward sloping tunnel leading to the door he'd seen earlier. The tunnel was steep, but not impossible. The first step would be a doozy, though. The opening only started about five feet up the side of the wall. Looking around, he spotted a Danarian sized step stool just inside the kitchen. Must be for Sanjay. Moving to it quickly, he lifted it on one side and began dragging it toward the opening of the exit. It made a scraping sound on the sandy floor, but not loud enough to wake anyone, the Doctor desperately hoped. Thank Rassilon for naturally inspired interior design, he mused.

Finally making it to the opening of the tunnel, the Doctor climbed up on the three foot high step stool and clambered up into the hole in the wall. The ground inside was rocky and easy to climb, thankfully. Within a minute he was at the end of the tunnel and touching the door. Freedom.

Looking around the door for a lock of some kind, he found a deadbolt on the right hand side. He had to use two hands to turn it, but he eventually got it unlocked. Now he just had to open the door itself and he'd be able to get out of here and find Rose.

The door needed to be opened by turning a handle and pushing it outward. Easy enough for a Danarian, whose hand was the appropriate size and strength for the handle. The Doctor, however, was definitely not Danarian sized. Nor did he have adequate strength, he discovered quite quickly. Bloody hell.

He worked at it for another few minutes before giving up and dejectedly leaning against the wood of the door. Well, that was plan number one down the drain. Looked like a window was the next option. He considered the window he'd seen in the bedroom, but quickly dismissed the idea. It was hard enough to remain quiet elsewhere in the house. The last thing he needed was for the family to wake only to discover their 'pet' had free reign. No. He'd have to find another, less risky window to check out. The bedroom window would be a last resort.

Scooting back down the tunnel to the living room, the Doctor surveyed the room. Sure enough, high up on the wall at ground level there was a narrow horizontal rectangular window. Now. How to get up there.

The wall was rock faced, as all of them were in the home. A table stood against it rising to about six feet high against the wall. Moving to push the huge step stool up to the side of the table, the Doctor climbed up on it and then up onto the table. Great. About twelve more feet to go.

Testing the rock wall with his right foot, he found he could fit the ball of his foot on one of the jutting small ledges sticking out of the wall face. Using it to lever himself up, he grabbed at another small ledge with his opposite hand and braced himself before trying for another foothold. Scaling the wall a bit at a time, he finally made it up to the window ledge and pulled himself up onto it.

Outside was indeed a backyard, as he'd suspected. It was fenced all around by a solid brick-like wall that was a good eight feet high. The yard itself was sandy with an inground shallow wading pool. From what he could see in the dark shadows, the pool was surrounded by long flat boulders… possibly for the Danarian's to sit or lie on. In the far corner of the yard he thought he could make out a gate.

Checking out the window edges for weakness or openings, he found none. Airtight. Stood to reason, he glumly acknowledged. During some points in the year this planet could definitely reach incredible temperatures at the top of the day, so the inhabitants would need somewhere to retreat where they wouldn't worry about the cool air escaping.

Fantastic. Well, now what?

That's when he heard a muffled sob come from down the hall. His hearts both stopped for a moment as he listened. Another loud sob rang out followed by another and another.

Damn it!

The sound of shuffling feet along the sandy floor alerted him to the wakened state of one of the adults.

He couldn't get caught. If they realized he could get out of the kennel on his own he'd never have the opportunity to look for another way out. They'd make sure his sorry Time Lord arse didn't see freedom in the evening ever again.

Carefully swinging his legs over the side of the window ledge, he eased himself back down the side of the wall. He was about halfway down when he heard large footsteps approaching. A light in the kitchen flickered on. The Doctor froze where he was, plastered against the rock wall, his face pressed against the stubbly surface.

Cupboards opened and something that sounded like a cooling unit opened and closed. Cranky mumbling could be heard… Yula's, likely… as provisions were gathered, assumedly for a night feeding of some kind for the toddler.

From where he hung on the wall he could see Yula's back now as she turned toward the sink to fill a container with water. If she turned now she would see him. He didn't doubt it.

Daring not to breathe, the Doctor waited for a surprised yelp from the female lizard. But it never came. The light in the kitchen switched off with a 'click' and the sounds of Yula's feet shuffling away told him he could finally exhale.

The toddler's cries had escalated while Yula had been preparing his snack, but he didn't hear anyone else moving in the house. No doubt they were used to this ritual.

Taking this opportunity to climb down the rest of the way, the Doctor landed on the table and crawled down from there to the step stool, and finally the floor. Wasting no time, he ran from the room back to the closet and eased himself back into the kennel. He closed the door as quietly as he could before re-activating the lock which issued a soft 'beep' in response. Worried that the sound might have alerted the large reptile, the Doctor quickly yanked the blanket down that had been covering the lock and pulled it into the cage.

The shushing sound of Yula's feet sliding along the sandy ground made him scramble even more quickly to pull the blanket over himself. Closing his eyes, he feigned sleep. A split second later, the light in hall clicked on, shining a bright beam into the closet. Yula emerged, her massive figure effectively shutting out the offending light from above. He wasn't looking, but the Doctor could feel her standing in the doorway. He was being observed. At least 90 seconds passed before the hall light was turned off once again. Finally, the Doctor heard Yula pass the closet on the way back to her room.

Well _that_ couldn't have been closer.

The Doctor lay there for a while before his breathing evened out completely. He wondered how many times Danarian toddlers woke in the night at Mika's age. The thought of having to go through a race like that again tonight didn't thrill him. It was a half three in the morning and the sun would be rising in another hour or so.

Deciding he'd better call off the escape plans for tonight, he rolled over to lie on his back. The kennel wasn't long enough for him to stretch all the way out, so his knees were bent with his feet propped against the bottom of the back panel while his head nearly touched the door of the cage. Mistreatment. That's what this was. What kind of owners would leave their pet in such a confined space for any length of time? At least he had a blanket. It was actually kind of chilly, even for him. No wonder, really. Couldn't they have left him with something a bit more substantial than only his pants to wear? Then again, how would they be able to see his brilliant 'markings' if they let him wear clothes? He rolled his eyes. Markings.

The Doctor wondered if Rose had any markings. Now _there_ was a thought. He tried to picture her curvy body wearing only pants… knickers… and a bra. A familiar warm desire trudged through him at the conjured image. Oh, Rose.

He'd never admit to anyone that he'd ever even considered Rose Tyler in any way other than a best mate, but he'd at least tried to stop lying to himself about it. She was perfect. A brilliant human, a kind-hearted friend, and… oh, but she was attractive. He took a deep breath. Gallifreyans had long since abandoned physical intimacy as a way of procreating, and many frowned upon the whole act of lovemaking as being barbaric. He'd personally never subscribed to this thought, though it was hard to shake years of upbringing. He couldn't help think, though, that many civilizations had it right, in that they actually celebrated the act itself and saw the ability to partake in it as a blessing they'd been given. And the very idea of partaking in it with one Rose Tyler often had him taking him taking long cold showers before meeting her in the console room in the mornings. And while he'd given up trying to deny his interest in her that way, he would never, ever act on it. Layers and layers of reasons why he couldn't ever have that with Rose piled on top of each other to create a chastity belt of impenetrable force, as far as he could see. No. He'd have to content himself with their flirty looks and hand holding. And maybe the occasional celebratory chaste kiss on the cheek. But that was it.

In his mind, he tried to put clothes on his mental image of his beautiful blonde companion, in an effort to reign in his libido. It didn't work. The clothes just kept falling off. He sighed. Well, he hoped, wherever she was right now, that she had more clothes on that he did right now.

That thought sparked a host of unwelcome thoughts. There was a good chance, if she was caught, that she was as scantily clad as he was. Did Danarians cover female humans more than males? He wasn't wearing a shirt. Was she? The thought of these beings looking at his companion… violating her privacy that way, was nauseating.

Something in the back of his mind admonished him for jumping to conclusions. He didn't even know if she'd been caught. She may have gotten away. He much preferred to assume that. No… he had to believe she'd gotten away until that assumption was proven false. The other option was simply unacceptable and would result in much more than a tongue lashing from this Time Lord once he was free. There was a reason he was called the 'Oncoming Storm', and they would find out why firsthand if anything had been done to harm the woman he… his dearest companion.


	5. Examined

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**CHAPTER 5 - Heeled: Examined**

Morning came quickly, with the Doctor lost in his thoughts until he began hearing movement and noises in the house.

The pitter-patter of large reptilian feet grew closer a few minutes later and was complimented by Sanjay's excited cries of, "He's awake!" to the rest of his family on discovering the Doctor's eyes were open.

"He's awake, Mommy! Can I let him out?" the Doctor heard the boy say from the hall.

"Not yet, honey. Daddy will have to help, cause he'll have to take him up to the yard, okay?"

Up to the yard? He was going outside? Well at least that was something. He'd be able to check out the opportunities for escape if he actually ever made it out of the back door on his own.

A few minutes later, Lim turned on the light in the closet. The Doctor squinted his eyes against the harsh light. "Morning, Hue," he said, jovially. "Time to go outside?"

The Doctor scooted closer to the front of the cage and wrapped his fingers around the bars. No sense pretending he'd didn't want to get out of here. What pet wouldn't?

"Okay, buddy," Lim said, keying the code into the lock, "let's go." The Doctor crawled out of the crate, his long legs protesting at being cramped in the small enclosure for the last few hours. Once again standing and stretching, he looked up at Lim, waiting for whatever happened next.

"I still can't get over how… docile he is," Lim said as Yula passed by in the hall. She stopped and poked her head in.

"I think Kila blessed us by helping us choose the perfect human for us," she smiled.

Lim nodded thoughtfully, then walked out of the closet and beckoned the Doctor forward. "Come, Hue," he said, patting his leg.

Oh for Rassilon's sake.

Trying not to roll his eyes, he did as he was told and walked out of the closet and into the hall. A squeal sounded from his right and he turned his head just in time to see a ten foot reptilian child running at him at full speed before losing his balance and falling forward. Time slowed as the Doctor very clearly saw the likely bloody outcome of this encounter unless he did something quickly. Doing a 180 degree turn, the Doctor literally dived back toward the closet just in time to avoid a full on collision with the boy's face.

"Sanjay!" Lim shouted. "For Kila's sake, boy! You could've killed Hue! How many times have I told you not to run in the house?!" he yelled.

The boy sat up suddenly and looked, wide-eyed at the Doctor who was now peering around the corner of the door from inside the closet, still breathing heavily from sheer shock. The boy's eyes began filling with tears. "I'm sorry, Hue," he said, obviously now very aware that he'd frightened and nearly killed his pet. Standing quickly, the boy began to sob and turned and ran back in the direction he'd come from.

"Damn it," Lim said, rubbing his forehead, watching after the boy. He sighed and then looked back down at the Doctor. "Well, that's a great way to start the day, isn't it, boy?" he said in the way that people do to their pets. Not expecting understanding, just an ear. "Good thing you don't have kids, buddy. They're exhausting. Be happy you only have to worry about eating, sleeping and pooping."

The Doctor couldn't help but let his ire rise at this statement. The assumption was maddening. The idea that his pet couldn't possibly understand hardship was laughable and ignorant. In fact, if this being only _knew_ the difficulties faced by the humans on this planet, he'd never be so daft as to open his mouth on the subject again. And who was he to assume the Doctor had no children? If he had, in fact, had children on this planet, then he'd have been brutally taken from them by being 'rescued' by these ignorant so-called 'evolved' beings. The idea that their pets should be thankful for the 'honour' of being adopted and 'saved' from their freedom was preposterous.

The war between showing himself as a 'good pet' and the need to show this creature what he was really made of was raging inside of him. Oh, how he wanted to write this creature a long-winded letter explaining the importance of freedom to sentient species. But once again, his rational brain won the battle. Barely.

Taking a deep breath, he moved back out into the hallway. Lim smiled at him as if nothing had transpired between them… which it hadn't, in reality. It sure had in the Doctor's head, though.

Gritting his teeth, he followed Lim into the great room and over to the tunnel leading to the back yard. Lim leaned down and gently lifted the Doctor up from under his arms to place him at the entrance to the short tunnel. The reptile's hands were rough, but he was careful to place the Doctor down gently so as not to startle him further after the scare he'd had with Sanjay.

Gently encouraging the Doctor forward by pushing him on the back toward the door, the Doctor took the direction and trundled up the slope. Lim followed close behind and unlocked the door when they reached the top. Pushing the door open, he once again patted the Doctor's back to get him moving out the door.

Once outside, the Doctor took a deep, cleansing breath. Fresh air filled his body and he immediately felt a measure better. Looking around him, he took in the view of the yard as it presented itself in daylight. Everything looked as he'd imagined when he'd first seen it in the dark last night.

"Okay, Hue. Hurry up so I can go have my cup of jupa," Lim said, standing by the door, looking expectantly down at the Doctor.

The Doctor looked up at Lim, wondering what he needed to hurry to do, exactly.

Lim just shuffled a bit where he stood, still waiting.

With no answer forthcoming, the Doctor decided he might as well inspect the yard if they were just going to stand here.

Wandering over to the large slabs of rock, the Doctor checked out the pool. Probably about two feet deep. Just enough for the Danarians to wet their feet or the toddler to sit in and cool off on hot days. Kneeling down, he tested the water. Warm, but cooler than the surrounding air.

Behind him Lim sighed.

Turning to look at the large reptile, the Doctor read his body language and surmised the Danarian was growing impatient.

"Common, buddy. I haven't got all day," he said, starting to tap his massive foot.

For what? Looking up at the Danarian, admittedly perplexed, the Doctor tried to figure out what the reptile was going on about. What was he expected to _do_ out here? Dig a hole? Have a nap? Climb the fence? What?

Finally, in exasperation, the Danarian swooped down and scooped the Doctor up from under the arms and swiftly deposited him in a corner of the yard behind a small bush. The Doctor nearly lost his balance after being plunked down on the ground, but managed to remain upright.

"Oh, for Kila's sake, Hue… do your business already," Lim said impatiently.

His business? What busin… Oh. Oooooh. Oh no. No way. Nuh-uh. The realization of what his 'business' was supposed to be while outside completely mortified him. He was _not_ going to… relieve himself… in front of this creature, let alone, _do his business_. No, nononono. It would be a cold day on Krop Tor before he did _that_ in front of _anyone_.

Resolutely stomping back toward the door, the Doctor passed the Danarian and stood, arms crossed, in front of the wooden entrance.

The Danarian, himself, seemed completely gobsmacked. What on Kila's brown planet did this human think he was playing at? Didn't it have to _go_? Surely by now it had to relieve itself?

But the Doctor stood stoicly, looking straight ahead, as if _daring_ the large reptile to even _suggest_ the idea again.

Shrugging, Lim turned and opened the door to the flat. Maybe it didn't have to go. He was sure other Danarians who owned humans had said they'd had to let them out a few times a day for relief. Oh well. If this one didn't need to, he couldn't _make_ it.

The Doctor trundled into the tunnel ahead of the Danarian, scooted down the slope and back into the great room of the flat, dropping down from the exit of the tunnel onto the floor of the living room. In all honesty, he could've actually used a wee, but he sure as hell wasn't about to do it in front of his captors. It would have to wait. At least the situation wasn't urgent yet. Once again, he thanked the Gods for Gallifreyan biology.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The Doctor wandered the flat for the next couple of hours, careful to avoid the bumbling toddler who seemed quite interested in the new family pet. A survey of the home revealed no new possible escape routes that the Doctor could uncover. The flat was probably pretty typical of the average Danarian family home on this planet, he surmised. The kid's bedrooms were smaller than the master bedroom, but were infinitely more cluttered, with toys and clothes strewn about.

They had a loo of sorts, with a Danarian version of a toilet in the corner; a hole in the floor that led to some sort of indoor plumbing. On either side of the hole were platforms, presumably for the Danarians to place their feet so they'd straddle the hole while squatting. Taking in the set-up, the Doctor wondered what the reason was for having pets deficate outside. Surely humans could be trained to use these creature's version of the toilet? Perhaps they worried their pets might fall in the hole and get stuck? It was more likely that smaller humans wouldn't be able to easily place their feet on the intended foot platforms and still be able to squat. Whatever the reason, the Doctor couldn't see any logical reason he couldn't use it, with him being about the size of a three year old on this planet. And the need for a wee had grown quite substantially since they'd made their trek out to the backyard earlier.

Checking outside the door to make sure he wasn't currently being watched, he retreated back into the bathroom and pulled the door almost shut behind him. Tugging his pants down a bit, he stood on one of the platforms and started to wee.

"MOMMY!" a ridiculously excited voice rang out from behind him, "Come see this! Hue's peeing in the toilet!"

Oh Gods. Well it was too late to stop now. How humiliating.

Deciding to just finish with as much dignity as he could muster, he stared resolutely ahead at the wall in front of him.

"Well, I'll be… " Yula's voice chimed in. "I've heard of families training their humans to use the toilet, but I thought it was just a story! Hue must've been trained in his last home," she said, amazed. "No wonder he didn't want to go in the yard."

Finally finished, the Doctor readjusted his pants and did his best to walk tall as he exited the room. He could _not_ get off this planet quickly enough.

"Okay, is everybody ready to go?" he heard Lim say from down the hall.

"Yeah," Sanjay yelled back, running toward his father. "Hey Daddy… you won't believe what Hue just did! He peed in the toilet! All by himself!"

"You're kidding?!" Lim answered, having made his way down the hall to stand in front of the Doctor. "Well… that's handy, isn't it? Now we won't have to get up first thing in the morning to let him out. I'm liking this pet owning thing more and more now. We sure picked a good one," he said almost affectionately, reaching down and ruffling the Doctor's hair.

Argh.

"Daddy, can Hue get his collar off today? Jilp's human doesn't have a collar and it's really quiet," Sanjay asked.

Once again, the Doctor wholeheartedly agreed with the child. The collar was a constant annoyance, and the couple times he's had to clear his throat had resulted in very unwelcome pain.

"We might be able to, buddy. It's not like Hue's just a little hummini anymore and he's obviously been trained by someone else before," Lim said, thoughtfully. "I guess it'll be okay, as long as the vet thinks its a good idea."

Sanjay claps his hands with glee. "Yay! Then we can get him a regular collar for his walks?"

"Yes. Now let's get going or we're going to be late for Hue's appointment," Lim advised, moving to the door and grabbing the leash. "Common, Hue," he said, patting his leg.

The Doctor made his way to the door and stood by Lim, waiting. Lim smiled in response and bent down to slip the leash onto the Doctor's collar. "Good boy," he praised as the Doctor begrudgingly stood still to allow Lim to complete his task.

"Okay… be back in a bit," Lim said, raising his voice so Yula could hear from the toddler's room.

"Okay," her voice floated back. "Have fun."

Yeah. Fun. Nothing but rainbows and bloody puppies, the Doctor thought grumpily.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The ride to the vet was at least a good site better than the ride to the flat had been last night. He hadn't been put in the kennel this time, so he was free to sit on the seat or move about the vehicle. Sanjay had the end of his leash tucked tightly in his hand, however, so there was no hope of escape even when the vehicle slowed to a stop in front of the vet's office.

Sanjay jumped out of the jeep-like vehcile first, forgetting he still had the leash in his hand, and yanked the Doctor forcefully to the floor. He involuntarily squeaked in surprise and ended up getting a good shock for it.

"Sanjay!" his father barked, "Look out for Hue!"

"Oh, sorry Hue," Sanjay said, moving back to slacken the leash.

Lim gently scooped the Doctor up and placed him on his feet by the jeep. "Common, boy," he said, walking toward the clinic. Sanjay repeated his father's command and patted his leg, looking expectantly at the Doctor. Finally, having gotten his breath back after the previous shock, the Doctor padded behind Sanjay in his bare feet as he led the way into the clinic.

The clinic was an above ground affair with brick like walls. As they entered they were beckoned to a large front desk by a scaley receptionist in a white smock. She handed Lim a set of papers to fill out and waved them over to sit in the waiting room behind them.

The waiting room was busy, with other owners and their pets waiting for their turn to see the doctor. Lim parked himself on a wooden stump and Sanjay chose the stump beside his father to sit on. The Doctor climbed up on the stump beside Lim, but was unceremoniously pushed off and landed on his arse on the floor. "No," Lim barked at him. Okay. Lesson one: No stump sitting for pets.

Deciding to remain seated on the floor, the Doctor looked around at the rest of the waiting pets. Almost all were human, but there was one Sontaran. Wow. A Sontaran for a pet. There was something he'd never envisioned. They were war-mongering, fowl-tempered creatures generally. But then, looking up at its owner, he thought he might've understood the attraction. The Sontaran's owner looked to be quite a tough sort, with it's scales rubbed off into patterns on various parts of its arms. It looked like it'd seen a few fights in its day as well, with a long scar crossing the side of its face. Well, they say you start looking like your pet. This owner was certainly as close to Sontaran looking as he'd imagine a Danarian ever being.

Looking back at the Sontaran itself, he noticed it wasn't wearing a noise reducing collar. Apparently it was either well trained or the owner didn't care about bothering his neighbours with a noisey Sontaran. The second explanation was probably more likely.

"What are _you_ looking at, _human_?" the Sontaran said with derision, it's brow furrowed in confrontation.

Unable to reply, the Doctor merely looked away. No point in creating a scene. There wasn't anything he could do about this cranky being at the moment anyway.

The Sontaran, though, took that as his cue to press the issue. Standing up, it advanced toward the Doctor from across the room until it came to the end of its leash, about four feet from him. It's owner didn't seem to care what its Sontaran was up to, and merely sat watching the 'interaction', such as it was.

"Do you have something you wish to say?" the Sontaran taunted. "Oh… wait. You _can't_ say anything, can you? Blasted humans. What a ridiculous species. Obviously aren't disciplined enough to know when to shut your mouths, so they have to teach you the hard way," it spat.

Having enough of the posturing, the Doctor turned away from the blustering creature to face the other direction.

"Pathetic and cowardly. No wonder your species is a laughing stock around the cosmos."

The Doctor had more than a few things he wanted to say in response, and actually found himself thankful for the collar in a sick kind of way, otherwise it was more than likely he'd say them all and an all out fight would ensue.

"Hue?" a female's voice called from the door of the waiting room.

"That's us," Lim replied. "C'mon, Hue," he said, taking the leash from Sanjay and moving to follow the receptionist. The Doctor passed the Sontaran on the way out, making sure to draw himself up to his full height as he did so. The squat creature actually _growled_ at him as he passed by.

His hearts sunk. Is _this_ what he was reduced to? Posturing and trying to make himself look more substantial to intimidate another male? He sighed, disheartened at his behaviour in the face of this demeaning situation. He was a Time Lord, for Rassilon's sake. And even if he _was_ a human, he should still be so much more than _this_.

Following his family dejectedly, the Doctor was led to an examination room. A massive reptile greeted Lim with what looked like the Danarian equivalent of a handshake and then looked down at the Doctor. "Well. Who do we have here?" he asked in a large, friendly voice.

"That's Hue," Sanjay answered, looking up at the doctor.

"Hue, eh? Well, hello, Hue," he said, kneeling to get a better look at the Doctor. "Aren't you a handsome fella," he said jovially.

The Doctor merely stared at him.

"Well, let's get him up on the examination table then," the doctor said, standing. Lim lifted the Doctor up from under his arms and placed him on the cold surface. The Doctor instinctively shivered as his bare legs contacted the chilly metal of the table.

"Sorry, Hue," the vet said, "I know the table's a bit cold." Turning to get something from behind him, the vet turned back with a needle in hand.

"Okay. We need him to lie down. I'll need your help, sir, if you could," he said, gesturing for Lim to move to the side of the table. Realizing this was going to end up being a decidedly unpleasant experience, the Doctor took the opportunity to look around for an escape. The table was surrounded and the door of the room was closed. He'd be able to open it, he was sure, but probably not fast enough. Damn it.

Well, there was nothing for it. As Lim and the doctor approached to grab his arms to make him lie down, he ducked their hands and spread himself out on the table on his own. He didn't relish being manhandled yet again. If he was going to have to comply with this, he was going to do it on his own terms.

Both Danarians gazed down at him with open mouths. It was the doctor who piped up first. "Well, I'll be damned. I've… never seen anything like this in all my years!" he breathed, quite amazed.

"I know," Lim said. "He's really smart. He even used our toilet this morning," Lim shared proudly, as if he personally had something to do with his pet's intelligence.

"Extraordinary," the doctor said. "Well, let's get to it, then. Seems he's ready," the vet smiled, coming in with the needle.

The Doctor watched as the vet slid the needle into his arm and depressed the plunger. As the golden liquid entered his bloodstream, the Doctor could feel his body neutralizing the substance, whatever it was. Likely an innoculation of some kind.

"There you go, Hue," he said, pulling the needle out and pressing the equivalent of a cotton swab against the hole in his arm. "No danarian sand worms or human dropsy for you!"

Fantastic.

"Now. He'll probably develop a fever from the vaccine over the next few hours. I'll give you some pain medication for him… make sure he gets it or he'll be cranky and uncomfortable." Picking up a bottle from behind him, the doctor handed it to Lim who placed it on the table. The Doctor managed to get a look at the label. Aspirin.

Bloody fantastic. Well, he'd have to avoid being medicated then. How was he going to manage _that_?

"Now. Let's see how heavy he is, yeah?" the doctor said, picking the Doctor up and plopping him down on a scale on the floor. "Hmmm," he said, jotting notes on his clipboard, "a bit on the skinny side. I'd recommend a higher calorie diet for him over the next while to see if we can fatten him up a bit. Poor fella was a stray, you said?"

"Yeah. He was found just outside the Braylin district just wandering around with a female stray."

Female stray?! Oh Gods… they knew about Rose. The chances of her escaping the determined human catching Danarians was probably slim. That means they had her somewhere… probably at the shelter.

"Right. And how has Hue been doing since you brought him home. Is he eating?"

Lim thought for a second. "Well, now that you mention it… he's refused to eat anything we've put out for him. Maybe he just doesn't like the brand of human food we're buying," Lim reasoned.

The Doctor rolled his eyes. Even humans would hate that human food, he thought. He'd tried a nibble, just out of interest, but quickly decided to avoid eating it ever again if at all possible. It was hard, dry and tasted like cardboard.

"Hmmm. Well, it could be that he's missing his mate. Humans sometimes bond for life, and when they do, it can be very difficult for them when they're separated. He may go off his food for a while until he gets used to being without her," the doctor said helpfully.

The Doctor grimaced. As if he'd ever get used to being without Rose. The instinctive thought made him pause. That statement was more true than he cared to admit. It also summarized the main reason why he refused to fully admit how he truly felt about her. Because someday he'd lose her. A feeling of desolation filled him. Losing Rose. The idea already filled him with dread. How ironic. He refused to really _be_ with her because he'd miss her too much in the end. But just going by the way he felt right now, at this moment, he knew he was already way past that point. He would already miss her when she was gone. So much.

"Thanks, Doctor. Um… one question. We were thinking of breeding him."

The Doctor's immediately tuned back in to their conversation. What?!

"...And we were wondering if you had any ideas about that, especially in light of what you said about the female that was found with him."

So she _was_ found then. His Rose. The thought of her languishing in a cage at the shelter made him seethe.

"Well," the doctor started, "he's in good health, so that's good. He's probably quite capable of breeding. He may refuse though. Like I said, humans sometimes bond for life. So even if they're separated, they may not breed with any other humans if its not their mate. I'd suggest maybe slowly introducing him to a female… maybe one that looks like the stray he was found with. That's the best advice I can think of."

Well, the _Doctor_ had advice for Lim, and it involved getting health insurance, because if they even dared _try_ to 'breed' him, they'd need it.


	6. Provided For

**CHAPTER 6 - Heeled: Provided for**

They arrived back at the flat a while later, after having stopped at the pet shop first. The Doctor had been hauled into the store with Lim and Sanjay… apparently pets were allowed… and found himself mildly interested in the wide array of supplies available to owners with the inclination and money to purchase them. Sanjay had asked his father if they could look around a bit before leaving, and the Doctor had to admit he was rather curious as to the offerings as well.

Probably in an effort to stave off an argument, Lim agreed, and they'd meandered through the many aisles of the shop just looking at all the goods. A full aisle was dedicated to toys for young humans and another focused on amusements for adult ones. They had another aisle housing supplies specific to other species, but the predominant species catered to here was humans. Must be a favourite, the Doctor considered. Made sense, he supposed. Spunky, smart, fun, but trainable and could be bred to be docile. All around, the ideal family pet.

The Doctor shivered. Even considering seeing the 'keeping' of humans as pets as making some sort of sense made him feel dirty somehow. It reminded him a bit of how the Time Lords viewed other species in general, and it had always been a bone of contention for him.

They continued their exploration of the store and finally came across clothing for humans. Rassilon. What he'd do for some trousers right now, he thought, wandering over to look at a rack of them. Sanjay must've seen him looking, as he moved over and watched the Doctor flick through the offerings.

"Daddy… I think Hue would like some trousers. He likes them… look," Sanjay said, calling over to his father.

Lim turned from the boxes of pet food to watch the Doctor for a moment. "Oh. Yeah… he does seem to like them, doesn't he?" Lim said, watching the Doctor riffle through the pickings. All were simple drawstring waists and elastic rimmed at the ankle. Hoping it wouldn't look as if he'd understood their conversation, the Doctor chose a grey pair he thought might fit and held them up to show Lim.

"Hey Dad! He wants those ones!" Sanjay said happily, thrilled that his pet was communicating with them so obviously.

"Well, it certainly looks like it, doesn't it?" Lim replied, a smile creeping onto his face. "Would those ones fit him?" he asked taking the trousers from the Doctor. Checking the tag, he found that they probably would. "Look at that! He even picked ones that are the right size for him," Lim shook his head in awe.

"I told you he was smart," Sanjay said, grinning as only a lizard being could. "Can we get him a shirt too, Daddy? I bet he'd like a shirt too," the boy suggested hopefully.

Lim looked a bit reticent, but agreed that they could maybe buy the Doctor a shirt as well, but only _one_. Sanjay clapped excitedly and led the Doctor by the leash to some shirts at the end of the aisle. The Doctor wholeheartedly supported this development. He'd felt so… exposed since this whole ordeal began. A bit of fabric armour would go a long way to making him feel a little less vulnerable.

The tops they looked at were simple affairs. T-shirts mostly. Sanjay was looking at the shirts on a more expensive rack, all of which had sayings printed on them. Oh dear gods. 'I *heart* treats', 'This much cuteness should be a crime', and 'I'm human. What's your excuse?' were among some of the selections Sanjay pulled out. The Doctor was immeasurably thankful, therefore, when Lim insisted that Sanjay look at the cheaper, plain shirts. The Doctor put on a hopeful face and showed Lim a plain black shirt in his size. Once again, Lim seemed quite impressed their pet was able to choose his attire so appropriately.

They'd stopped at the human food section and heard Sanjay ask about getting the Doctor some 'treats' as well as his regular food. He wondered what they'd consider a 'treat' to a human. Given the food humans were forced to eat here on a regular basis, even _pears_ would be considered a treat, the Doctor huffed. Lim agreed that Sanjay could pick out a treat for him if he promised not to ask for anything else on the way out. Sanjay had squealed happily and ended up choosing a few 'treats' for his human before they finally headed to the counter, paid and left.

Now, finally back at the flat, the Doctor was anxious to put on his clothes and mull over his options, but his owners had other ideas.

"Okay, Hue. Time for your medicine," Lim said, pulling out a small bag from inside a larger one. With that, the Doctor was _gone_.

"Hue? HUE!" Lim shouted, surprised to look down and find his pet had disappeared. "What in Kila's name…" Lim said, beginning to search around the flat. "HUE! Come out, buddy!"

For the Doctor's part, he had no intention of 'coming out'. His intention, in fact, was to hide until everyone in the family was sleeping and then find the blasted medicine and dump it in the toilet. While aspirin had it's benefits for the humans he'd travelled with, he'd had firsthand experience of what it could do to a Time Lord and wasn't eager to repeat it.

The Doctor heard Lim's, Yula's and then Sanjay's shouts throughout the house, but they'd yet to look in the corner of the closet the Doctor was hiding in. As he waited them out, he even thought he heard them shaking his food box hoping to draw him out. Idiots. They couldn't make him eat that shite at the best of times. What made them think he'd be running out of a perfectly good hiding spot now for a nibble?

Finally, thirty-four minutes later, the calling stopped. The Doctor listened intently for approaching footsteps, but heard none. Maybe they'd had to leave to run errands or something? He hoped that was the case, but it wasn't likely. They'd probably just realized the futility of calling for a pet that didn't want to be found. That said, it wasn't just adults looking for him. While Lim and his wife had probably tired of looking for him by now, he was quite aware that children of most species could focus with singular attention when it wasn't specifically required of them by parents or teachers. He suspected Sanjay wouldn't give up so easily.

Ever mindful of new noises, the Doctor remained vigilant, despite the seeming peacefulness of the house. While he waited and listened, he found himself recalling, with sickening clarity, the the last time he'd ingested aspirin. He'd gone into a healing coma and barely made it out the other side. He was lucky it hadn't regenerated him, because it easily could have - such a consequence wasn't unheard of. The last thing he needed was to finally find Rose, look into her eyes, finally tell her he…was happy to have her traveling with him… only to have her not recognize him. Again. Nope. Not going there. And all that, assuming his body could fight the aspirin enough _to_ regenerate. Amazing that, as a Time Lord, his body was so incredibly resilient in some ways, but one little dose of a common human painkiller could literally end him.

And it was with that in mind that he jumped at the sound of approaching footsteps. The door of the closet opened, but no one spoke. He shrunk back even further into the pile of clothing he'd dug himself under and waited, barely daring to breathe.

Someone started rifling through the pile of clothing he was under, pulling piece by piece off of the top of the pile. Finally, a piece was pulled off that left a hole for him to look through. Yula. And she was reaching for the one remaining clothing barrier between him and capture. Oh gods...he had to make a run for it. Quickly pushing the remaining clothing off of himself, the Doctor scampered as quickly as he could out of the pile and between Yula and the doorframe. Yula let out a huge yelp of surprise as the Doctor ploughed past her, making his way out into the middle of the toddler's room. "Lim! I found Hue!" he heard Yula yell from behind him.

Where to go? Deciding to head for the hall closet, he'd just cleared Mika's bedroom door when Lim rounded the corner and grabbed him around the waist, pulling him up and under his arm. "There you are!" Lim crowed triumphantly.

The Doctor squirmed ineffectively, firmly encased in Lim's embrace. "Whoa, buddy. Something spooked you, didn't it?" he said, carrying the Doctor to the kitchen where he'd left the medication. "I'm guessing you've had some bad experience with paper bags… they sure got you moving, didn't they? Well, don't worry, buddy. I threw them out," he said, as if the cause of such angst in a pet might be the presence of a paper bag. How thick could he be?

But the Doctor didn't have time to ponder the relative lack of intelligence this creature had compared to him, because it was quickly becoming apparent that he was going to be given pain medication, whether it would kill him or not.

"Yula, could you help me, please," he called, still holding onto the Doctor, obviously thinking he'd try to bolt again if he put him down.

Yula entered the kitchen. "I'll hold him if you give him the pill, okay?" Lim said, trying to choose the best tactic for completing this mission.

"Alright. But wouldn't it be easier if we just give it to him to take? Maybe he'll just swallow it on his own?" she asked, looking at the Doctor quizzically.

Good woman, the Doctor thought. Brilliant thinking. Then he could pretend to take it but instead pocket it in his mouth and spit it out later… the Danarians none the wiser. They'd feel pleased that they'd done right by their pet and he'd be not dead. It was a win/win situation.

"Um, I don't think so… what if he drops it? I only have one pill. No… we'd better do it like the handout said. Here - read it," he said, passing her the handout.

She read for a moment and sighed. "Alright. I just don't like doing this to him. He's going to hate it," Yula said.

"Hey… I don't always like having to go to work, but I do it. He's not always going to like everything that happens in his life, but sometimes you just gotta take what comes your way," he said wisely.

The Doctor growled inwardly. What a ridiculous analogy. What in Rassilon's Pants was he even trying to _say_? The Doctor wanted to scream in frustration… at the vet who didn't even check his anatomy to make sure he was human in the first place, at the society that condoned this sort of slavery, and specifically right now… at this stupid Danarian.

But given that screaming would only result in electric shock treatment, he redoubled his squirming efforts instead.

"Whoa! Hue… for Kila's sake… hang on, will you!" Lim shouted as the Doctor wiggled and kicked, flailing uselessly under the crook of the Danarian's arm. "You see what I mean, Yula? Now, I'll put him on the counter and hold him while you open his mouth and pop the pill in, okay?" Yula nodded. Lim struggled with the Doctor, but sadly, it didn't take much effort on the Danarian's part to subdue him. He was almost three times his size, after all. Within moments the Doctor was sitting on the counter, his legs sprawled before him, his torso wrapped tightly in the large reptile's embrace.

"Okay, Yula. Go ahead," Lim encouraged.

Yula looked a bit warily at the Doctor, clearly uncomfortable with her end of the job. The Doctor gave her his very best and most earnest entreating face… the one that _begged_ her to see reason… to have mercy. But before he could even bat his eyelashes, she had his face in her massive hand and was squeezing so his lower jaw dropped against his will.

In moments the sweet coated aspirin was on his tongue. Yula quickly released her squeeze so his jaw slammed shut and she held his mouth closed by pushing upward under his chin.

"How do we make sure he swallows it?" she asked, looking worriedly at the Doctor while he attempted to shake himself free of her grip.

"We don't have to. Just hold his jaw for another… umm, twenty seconds or so. It should dissolve on its own."

The Doctor was immediately aware that the statement was true. In his mouth, the offending poison was slowly dissolving with the help of his own blasted saliva. Treacherous damn body. Within ten minutes or so, he'd be knocking on death's door. As it was, he could feel the aspirin entering his blood stream. It's effects were already beginning to be felt. As Yula held his mouth firmly closed, he could feel his soft palate beginning to swell. The first signs of the allergic reaction that heralded the upcoming life threatening consequences of ingesting the chemical were beginning to be felt.

"Okay. Should be good now," Lim said, signalling Yula to let the Doctor go. She did so.

With Yula's grip on his face gone, the Doctor tried to spit the remnants of the pill from his mouth, but it was too late. It had quite effectively dissolved.

"Ew! Hue, that's gross!" Lim shouted, letting go of the Doctor's torso in order to wipe his pet's spittle from his hands.

The Doctor scooted back on the counter and away from Lim quickly, and swung his relatively short legs over the side of the counter to jump down.

"Oh, Lim… help him… he's going to hurt himself," Yula warned, alerting Lim to the Doctor's impending leap.

Catching the Doctor up around the waist once again, he swung him away from the counter and set him gently on the ground. Within seconds he was out of sight.

"Well… that went well," Lim said, seemingly satisfied with the outcome of their efforts.

The Doctor, also, was painfully aware of the consequences of his owners' victory. His throat was now swelling uncomfortably and his chest was becoming throbbingly tight as his breath became laboured.

Unsure where to even head to look for relief, the Doctor ran through the house blindly, hoping to come across _something_ that might help. His mind, however, was becoming more and more sluggish, making it difficult for him to even reason. There was _something_... some compound he'd once used to… Rassilon! Chocolate! But he wasn't anywhere near the TARDIS and Rose's stash of sweets. But maybe… just maybe…

The Doctor ran, stumbling back to the kitchen, which was now empty of Danarians. Quickly moving to the cupboards he could reach, he threw each open in turn and searched vainly. Nothing! Not a scrap of chocolate to be found.

Should he be surprised? They were bloody _lizards_ for Rassilon's sake! What reptiles did he know that would eat chocolate? The one blessed compound in the Universe with the simple triglycerides that would counteract aspirin's effects on Time Lord physiology, and he was on the one bloody planet in the Universe that didn't have any!

His chest was heaving now with the effort he'd expended looking for his antidote. Slumping down to the ground, his head now pounding, he tried to conserve energy. Not that that was going to help much. This was it. Maybe if he made himself go into a healing coma before he was literally seconds away from passing, he might avoid regenerating or worse. Deciding he might be left alone longer if he went back to his kennel, he made an effort to stand. And an effort it was. He was now relegated to breathing in short shallow pants, with his chest closed down so tightly that even small amounts of air were difficult to make pass.

Trying to move as quickly as he could, he staggered to the hall closet and crawled in his kennel, pulling his knees to his chest. Panic was beginning to overtake him as the stabbing pain in his head combined with oxygen deprivation began to make his vision become spotty.

He knew he needed to calm down… to try to relax and concentrate on sending himself into a coma, but his body was shooting the Time Lord equivalent of adrenaline into his system in response to his frantic state of mind, making it even more difficult to tame his frenzied thoughts. Rassilon. He was going to die.

The thought of leaving now… just when he'd… he'd finally admitted, to himself, at least, that he was already a goner when it came to his pink and yellow companion… just when he was finally, maybe, really entertaining the idea of admitting how he really really felt about her…

"Hue," a small voice floated into his consciousness.

The Doctor cracked open an eye to find Sanjay kneeling down, looking at him sadly. "I'm sorry Daddy did that to you. He says he had to. But I have a treat for you to cheer you up," the boy said, putting a lump of something on the blanket at the Doctor's feet.

The smell of sweet earthy cocoa reached his nose. Gods! Could it really be?

Lifting his head off the blanket to get a better look at the lump emitting the glorious aroma, he truly couldn't believe his eyes. It was. It was a great lump of devine chocolate, clearly dropped from some pitying deity. Heaving himself around inside the kennel, he reached for the chocolate as quickly as he could muster. Grabbing the massive morsel of rich life-saving sweetness in both hands, he took a huge bite.

Chewing and swallowing was a monumental task now, as his esophagus had narrowed to nearly closed. Nearly, but not quite. Forcing down four good sized swallows, he was working on breaking down his fifth chunk into a swallowable size when he began to feel the effects of the life saving roasted theobroma cacao seed which was busy neutralizing the poison in his body. Air began more easily making its way into his pulmonary system as some of the constriction in his tissues abated. Thank-you God, Allah, Zut, Budda, Orion, and Bloff the Magnificent, the Doctor thought, rhyming off every deity he could think of to thank. He methodically continued his ingestion of the 'treat' provided him and revelled in the glorious feeling of oxygen once again reaching his blood cells.

"Wow! You really like chocolate, eh, fella?" Sanjay said, innocently. "Next time you have to take medicine, I'll make sure you get even more chocolate for after, okay?"

The idea that there might be a 'next time' made him feel even more sick, if that was possible.


	7. Cleaned

Thank-you so much to all who have reviewed and faved! I'm truly grateful.

* * *

**CHAPTER 7 - Heeled: Cleaned**

For the next couple of days the Doctor lay in his kennel, clearly unwell. He heard Yula and Lim talking about him and whether or not they should take him back to the vet or not. Thankfully, they opted to wait it out for a couple of days to see if he got better on his own. The vet had said, after all, that the vaccine might make him unwell for a bit.

In the meantime, the Doctor spent most of his time sleeping off the remaining effects of the aspirin. The chocolate had helped monumentally, but he still felt completely knackered and his headache continued to linger. He was visited regularly by Sanjay, who often came and sat by the kennel and pet his hair. Normally he'd have hated such treatment, but in some sad way, it kind of reminded him of his childhood when he'd been unwell on that one occasion and his mother had smoothed his hair as he lay fevered and sick.

On the third day, he woke feeling quite a bit better and decided to venture out of his kennel again. He wasn't going to get out of here by sleeping his days away, after all. And the only reminder of his aspirin encounter was a dull ache in his head. Otherwise, he was right as rain. Certainly good enough to begin actively seeking out new ways to escape.

Upon seeing him exit the closet, Sanjay ran down the hall calling to his parents, "Mommy, Daddy… Hue came out of his kennel! I think he's better! Come see!"

It was quite early in the morning, and clearly his parents had been sleeping, because when Yula came out she appeared to be wearing a bathrobe and was rubbing her eyes.

"Let's see him," she said, walking down the hall with Sanjay pulling her by one of her four hands. The Doctor, deciding to be brave, had positioned himself by the door. As the Danarians approached he held up his leash, trying to look entreating. He wasn't going to get away from this lot while locked in the house. Maybe he could get them to take him out. Certainly more opportunities would present themselves that way, he hoped.

"Look, Mommy… he wants to go outside already! Can I take him? Please?"

The Doctor looked up hopefully at Yula. He made sure to bat his eyelashes a couple of times, which hopefully would shoot his cuteness quotient up to at least eleven.

Yula looked down at her 'ruffley' pet and a smile played at her lips. "My goodness, he's so adorable" she said, bending down and gently touching the side of his face. "I'm so glad he's feeling better. Now we don't have to cancel our visit with the Ruits this morning. We planned to bring him to go over to Mollit and Wouk's place for jupa so he could meet the Ruit's human this morning, remember? So we'll be bringing him out soon enough, okay?"

"Can we go there right now?" Sanjay said hopefully.

Yula chuckled as she turned away to head back down the hall. "Not now, Sanjay. It's 6:30 in the morning and your Daddy's not even awake yet. Besides, we have to give Hue a bath before we go. Why don't you get out the pet soap and some towels so it's all ready," she answered.

"Okay," Sanjay said, happy to be doing something new with his pet.

His pet, on the other hand, was quite a bit less excited about the upcoming event. Bloody hell. Not that he couldn't do with a good scrub… it had been a few days since he'd been abducted, and he had to admit he was beginning to smell less than fantastic. That said, he had _no_ interest in having his 'bits' rubbed clean by reptiles.

Right. Better make himself scarce.

"Hue!" Sanjay yelled from down the hall. "Come, Hue!"

The Doctor looked around him for somewhere quick to hide. Deciding he might have better luck in the great room, he dashed in that direction. Casting about for a spot where he might be less likely to be discovered, he moved quickly to the corner and jumped behind a storage chest just as Sanjay bounded into the room.

"Hue! Where'd he go?" the boy said to himself. Then, yelling back down the hall he said, "Mommy… is Hue over there?"

Yula's voice floated back down the hall. "No, honey. Check in his kennel."

"I did! He'd not in there!"

"Well, look around. He's here somewhere," Yula advised from the distance.

The Doctor listened as he heard Sanjay's feet shush across the sandy floor. As he heard the boy get further away from his hiding spot, he chanced a peek around the side of the chest…

...and was spotted. Sanjay had turned back to resurvey the room.

"HUE!" Sanjay squealed happily. "There you are! C'mon boy… it's bath time!" he said enthusiastically. He needed to make a run for it if he had any hope of saving his last shred of dignity. Scooting out from behind the chest, he made a beeline for the hallway. The boy would catch up, but if he could just get to a bedroom before the boy rounded the corner he might not know where to look first. He needed to waste time so the family wouldn't have enough time to wash him before they had to leave.

Racing into the hall, ever mindful of his pursuer, he ducked into the toddler's room, hoping against hope that the boy was still sleeping. Leaning up against the wall as Sanjay raced past… probably assuming he'd gone into his kennel again… he turned to survey the room for somewhere he could settle in for a bit.

"HUE!" MIka's piercing, excited voice cried out happily, "Hue! Hue! Hue! Hue!" he sang out loudly, standing in his massive Danarian crib, rocking back and forth hanging onto the side of the bars.

Moving quickly to the toddler, he held up his hands in a calming, shushing gesture, "Shhhh! Shhhh!" he whispered, even as his collar gave him a little jolt of warning.

"Hue! Hue! Hue! Hue!" the boy continued excitedly.

The sound of footsteps neared the room from the hall. Damn it! Once again, he found himself looking for somewhere quick to hide. There was a narrow space under the crib he could probably squeeze into, though it would be tight. Well, better tight than fondled.

Falling to the floor, he wiggled into the small space and held his breath. Just then, Yula entered the room.

"Mommy! Hue!" the boy said, jumping up and down in his crib above.

The Doctor watched Yula's feet near the crib and stop in front of it.

"Good morning, sweety," she cooed. "Did Sanjay's yelling wake you up?"

"Hue!" the boy reiterated. The Doctor hoped desperately that the boy hadn't gotten the hang of pointing yet, otherwise he was going to be bullocks deep in suds in a minute.

"I know, sweety. Sanjay is looking for Hue. Come on. Let's get you out of there and get you something to eat. Daddy can worry about bathing Hue, I think," she said mentally organizing her day.

Above him, the Doctor could hear Mika being lifted out of the crib. He allowed himself a mental sigh of relief. He may get out of this yet.

But then, two smaller Danarian feet appeared in his field of vision. Oh crap.

Within seconds, two reptilian eyes were peering at him under the crib. "Hue!" the boy shouted, reaching out with one of his pudgy arms and grabbing a handful of Gallifreyan hair. "Hue!"

It took all his effort not to cry out as the boy pulled his hair with all his strength, trying to yank the Doctor out from under his crib by the head.

"What do you have there?" Yula asked, kneeling down. "OH! NO, Mika! No pulling! No!" she sqwalked, prying the boys eight fingers open to release the Doctor's tresses. "Gentle with Hue!" she admonished when she finally managed to get the boy to let go.

The Doctor wiggled himself back further under the bed in an effort to avoid his inevitable fate, and probed his head gingerly with his fingers. The boy had managed to yank a chunk of hair out, and the Doctor hissed air in when his fingers grazed the tattered remains of his scalp. Blood dotted his fingers when he pulled them away from his head. He had to admit he was a bit vain of his fringe in this body… his last body wasn't nearly as gifted in the hair department. This was one time, however, when he wished he'd had a buzz-cut again, as it would've saved him from the mountainous toddler's grip.

"Hue… come out, sweety," Yula said as her concerned eyes appeared in his field of vision. "C'mon," she said, gesturing for him to move closer.

Well, bullocks. He'd hoped she'd just leave him there for a while, but it didn't look like _that_ was going to happen. Resigned, the Doctor slid himself out slowly. Yula, still kneeling, helped him stand as she dusted the sand off of his front. "Poor thing," she lamented before hugging him to her gently.

Her body was about the same temperature as his and her scaley 'skin' was as smooth as her son's. He had stiffened initially when she first embraced him, but actually found himself relaxing a bit the longer she held him. Finally she pulled back and looked at him fondly. Her expression quickly contorted into one of worry, however, when her gaze fell upon his partial scalping.

"Oh! You're hurt," she worried, her hands moving to his head. He pulled back and away quickly, anxious to avoid anyone touching his pained scalp. "Don't worry, Hue… I won't hurt you," she said consolingly. "Here," she said, getting up and reaching for his hand. Despite how oddly _wrong_ it was to feel comforted by this large lizard, he couldn't help but find that he was beginning to feel a sort of fondness for her. Of _course_ this was all _so_ wrong in so many ways, but she was, so far, the least offensive of the lot. Deciding he might as well accept her help, as he wasn't likely to come across any first aid kits on his own, he took her hand and she lead him to the loo. Lifting him up to sit on the counter, she more closely inspected his wound. She gingerly moved some of his matted hair out of the way and grimaced when she uncovered the damaged area fully. Must look worse than he'd imagined.

The toddler had followed her into the loo and within moments Sanjay joined them. "Mommy, what happened?" he asked, looking worriedly at the Doctor. "Did Mika almost pull his head off?"

Yula didn't answer right away, but reached into a sort of cubby under the sink to pull out a bottle and a towel. "Mika was being rough with him," she answered while pouring liquid from the bottle onto the cloth in one of her other hands.

"Mommy, what are you doing?" Sanjay asked, watching the procedure with interest.

"Just cleaning his owie, honey," she explained.

Oh, boy. Probably an antiseptic of some sort. This was going to hurt.

Bracing himself by holding on to the edge of the counter with white knuckles, he closed his eyes as she brought the wet cloth up to his scalp.

Dabbing at the wound carefully and obviously trying to inflict the least amount of discomfort, Yula applied the liquid to his pained head. The Doctor's grip relaxed as he realized that it had some sort of topical anesthetic in it as well, effectively numbing the area. He sighed inwardly, thankful for small blessings.

"There," Yula said, looking at his wound, apparently satisfied. "Okay. Well… I guess I might as well get you cleaned up as well, since I'm already here, eh?" she said, affectionately to the Doctor. Then, turning to the children, she said, "Sanjay, can you go wake up your Dad and ask him to make you guys some breakfast? Tell him Mommy's washing Hue."

Sanjay reluctantly agreed, clearly much more interested in washing his pet than waking up his father. "Can I help after I wake up Daddy?" he asked, hopefully.

"Not today, honey. Hue's head was hurt, so we have to be super careful cleaning him. You can watch, though, alright?"

"Awwww, but Mommy… I'm old enough to be careful, you know," he whined, "I'm almost six now, remember?" he said seriously.

"I know, sweetheart, but not this time. You can help next time," she said, equally as seriously.

"Awww," he said again before turning and trundling away dejectedly.

Small blessing number two.

Yula left the Doctor sitting on the counter as she filled the large Danarian sized 'bathtub' in with a couple feet of water. Sanjay returned a few minutes later and moved to stand beside the counter.

"Okay," Yula started, "can you stand Hue on the ground, Sanjay?"

"Sure," he said, happy to be included in the proceedings somehow. Lifting him up from under the arms, Sanjay helped the Doctor down to stand beside the tub.

"Right. Now we have to take his pants off," Yula said, reaching for the Doctor's waist.

Deciding that he had to draw the line _somewhere_, the Doctor darted around Yula's reaching hands and hurriedly climbed into the tub.

Both Yula and Sanjay looked incredibly surprised by his quick action, and both began laughing. "Whoa! Hue really wanted his bath, didn't he, Mommy?" Sanjay said, giggling.

Still laughing, Yula said, "He certainly seemed excited to get in, didn't he?!" As she reached for the Doctor again, presumably in a repeated attempt to defrock him, the Doctor quickly scooted back and away from her in the tub making the water slosh around the edges of the basin.

The Doctor, while anxious to avoid having his 'wares' on display, knew the importance of continued trust building, so smiled at the pair of Danarians as he sat in the waist high water in his pants.

Yula, initially taken aback by the Doctor's sudden movement, cracked a smile as the Doctor flashed his brightest grin her way. "Well… I guess he doesn't want his pants off. What do you think, Sanjay?" she smiled.

"But how are we going to wash his duey? And his bum?" Sanjay asked, concerned.

Duey? No one was touching _his_ duey without express permission. 'Pet' status or no.

"We'll sort that out when we get to it. Let's just let him get used to the bath first," she suggested, watching the Doctor who had given up trying to smile, given the topic of conversation.

The temperature of the water was about how he would've drawn it were he to have done it on his own and it felt heavenly. Despite the fact that he'd rather be doing this without voyeurs, he couldn't help but think this might not be all bad.

"Mommy… can we _please_ take his collar off now? At least for his bath?" Sanjay said, looking at the Doctor unhappily.

The Doctor's eyes widened. Have the collar off? The idea of being able to clear his throat without repercussions actually made him almost giddy.

Yula looked at the Doctor, considering. He tried, once again, to look docile and agreeable, tilting his head slightly and blinking his admittedly big brown eyes at her.

"Awwww. Look at him. Weellll… okay. Go get the key from your Dad." Sanjay clapped his hands (all four) and skipped off to get the key from his father.

The Doctor's stomach flipped in excitement. No collar! If he could prove to them that he could be quiet without it, maybe they'd let him keep it off? He didn't want to get his hopes up, but he couldn't help but get a bit excited at the idea.

Sanjay was back in no time with the key. It was some sort of 'wand'. The Doctor had seen set-ups like this before. The polymer would become pliable for about sixty seconds at the site the wand touched. After that it would once again reform to take it's originally constructed shape. Ingenious technology. Too bad it was being used for something so degrading.

Seeing the wand coming, the Doctor tried not to look like he was anticipating what it did by offering easier access to his neck. Instead, he sat there, trying to look inquisitive. Yula leaned in and ran the wand around the circumference of the collar. The solid material immediately turned into a moldable 'putty' which Yula stretched and pulled over the Doctor's head.

The Doctor couldn't help but bring his hands to his neck to feel the skin there. His neck actually felt odd without the chunky collar surrounding it. But, oh… it felt good to be able to _scratch_, which he indulged in for a moment.

That's when Yula actually reached under his chin and began scratching his neck for him. Oh for… this was so ridiculously unbecoming. But he had to admit… it did feel kind of good.

NO! No, it didn't. He wasn't a bloody _pet_! He was a Time Lord!

Scootching away from Yula's hand, he immediately regretted it. She actually looked hurt. Oh, blast it. He needed this family to completely trust him. And he wanted to keep his collar off. If he let her… pet him… so to speak, he was only showing her he was docile. Engender trust. He needed to remember that phrase. Engender trust. Fuck.

Trying to look a bit contrite, he inched himself closer to Yula again and lifted his chin, pointing at it. Yula looked a bit surprised at his request, but a smile quickly found her lips, and she reached to scratch him once again.

It wasn't _so_ bad, he guessed. He'd certainly been tortured in worse ways.

"Here's the soap, Mommy," Sanjay said helpfully, handing his mother the a lumpy, seemingly random shaped 'bar' in one of her other hands.

"Thanks, honey," she said. "Okay, Hue, let's get you clean."

The Doctor, seeing an opportunity to make this a more pleasant experience, reached out entreatingly for the lump of soap.

Yula once again looked taken aback.

"Mommy… I think he wants to do it himself," Sanjay said, amazed.

"Wow! I think you're right, Sanjay! Let's give it to him and see what he does," she said, holding out the soap for the Doctor to take.

As much as this particular Danarian was growing on him… what did she _think_ he was going to do with it? Eat it? Then again… he'd actually done that on New Earth once. But in his defense, it was edible soap. Not much call for that in most places. Humans came up with some ridiculous ideas. However, now that he thought about it, he was sure Captain Jack could come up with a few ideas for its use, he realized.

Taking the proffered soap, the Doctor wet it and worked it into a lather. Sliding the soapy lump along his arms and chest, he cleaned as much as he could without having to stand. His owners, meanwhile seemed astonished that a pet could possibly clean itself. Gods… didn't the humans here do anything for themselves? Maybe it had been trained out of them. That thought made the Doctor sad.

The next, most obvious problem, was going to be cleaning _himself_. Ummm… right. Deciding to stand, the Doctor turned away from his audience and, pulling at the elastic of his pants, slipped the soap under and into his boxers and proceeded to complete the task at hand.

Behind him he heard the Danarians were once again marvelling at their pet. "Look, Mommy… he's shy!"

"I think you're right, Sanjay. Well, I never," she added, astonished. Clearly pets weren't used to privacy here, so he supposed it would be unusual for a human to turn their back for something as inane as washing itself.

Settling back down into the water, he stuck his foot out of the water and gave it a good scrub. The other got the same treatment.

Soon, he was clean, except his hair, which he knew wasn't going to be fun to wash. Holding his breath, he slipped himself under the water to wet his whole head quickly. His owners were laughing now… this seemed to be quite entertaining for them. Lathering the soap in his hands, he applied it very carefully to his tender head, mindful to avoid his new bald spot. He managed to avoid getting soap in the wound, but it still stung as he lather the hair around it. A couple of times Yula hissed a small breath in as she watched, but to her credit, she didn't grab up the soap herself and take over.

Finally, rinsing his hair by once again immersing himself in the water, the Doctor wiped the water from his eyes and looked at his captors. Sanjay was smiling delightedly and Yula had an undeniable look of pride on her face.

"Well, I guess we don't have to worry about 'giving' him a bath, do we? He did it all by himself!" Yula smiled.

"He's the smartest human in the world, Mommy," Sanjay said, matter-of-factly. "None of my friend's humans take their own baths."

The Doctor sighed. Oh, the sad, sad state of the humans on this planet. They'd been made completely helpless by these well-meaning creatures, intent on making their pet's lives carefree. At least the 'good' owners were, that is. The Doctor cringed at the thought of those poor humans who were suffering under the 'care' of abusive and neglectful owners. A very unwelcome thought occurred to him again. What if Rose wasn't with a good family? What if she'd been taken by some psychopathic arseholes who enjoy torturing their pets? Once again, the urgency he felt about needing his freedom surged. This well-meaning family was possibly enabling the ongoing mistreatment of the most important human in his hearts and he couldn't… wouldn't just continue to wait for an opportunity to escape. He needed to _make_ it happen.

And make it happen, he would.


	8. Introduced

Thanks again, my dearest, darling readers for being brilliant!

WARNING: There is indirect reference to pediphelia in this chapter. If this is a trigger for you, please do not read this chapter. You will be able to pick up the story in chapter nine without much difficulty if you choose to skip ahead.

For those who've chosen to continue… on with the story...

* * *

**CHAPTER 8 - Heeled: Introduced**

It was a few hours later when the Doctor and 'his family' rolled up to stop in front of a rock faced above ground home. Sanjay jumped out of the vehicle to make room for the Doctor to follow, being careful not to pull on the Doctor's collar this time.

Sanjay had asked after his bath if he could keep the Doctor's collar off, a wish that once again was fully backed by one frustrated Time Lord, but Lim had insisted that he wear it for their trip. He did, however, admit that the Doctor _had_ been very quiet without it, and that he'd consider taking the collar off again when they returned home.

Oh well… at least that was _something_.

What wasn't _something_, however, was that Lim had also hurried them out of the house before the Doctor could non-verbally request to wear his trousers and shirt; something he'd been very much looking forward to doing since they'd been purchased a few days ago. He sighed. What was one more indignity to add to the ridiculously long list?

The door of the home was opened by a female Danarian. She was a bit shorter than Yula, but a fair bit rounder. This one obviously enjoyed her baked chocolate covered termite cookies, the Doctor thought bitterly. He chided himself immediately. No need to be mean. He was just anxious to get away from these creatures and find the woman he (finally) admittedly felt lost without.

Entering the front hall, the smell of cooking food filled the Doctor's nose. They had obviously been expecting guests and had decided to make it an event.

The Danarians greeted each other warmly, hugging each other with all their arms and exchanging "It's been so long"-s and "We've missed you!"-s. An extremely large male waddled up behind the new female and greeted them all the same way.

"Where's Pokka?" Yula asked the other female. "Sanjay was looking forward to seeing him again."

"Oh, he's out back. Sanjay, you can go find him if you like. But stay out of the swamp back there. It's too deep, okay?"

" 'Kay," Sanjay answered, taking off at a run.

"Well, that was easy," Yula said. "I was worried he'd want to stay and watch… I wasn't quite ready to explain all that to him yet!" Yula laughed.

The other female laughed as well. "I told Pokka he'd have to play outside while we visited 'cause we had to talk about 'big people' things. He seemed to buy that," the other female smiled.

Watch?

"So this is Hue?" the female said, bending down to get a better look at the Doctor, who was standing beside Yula's leg.

"This is him, alright," Yula said proudly.

"Well… he really _is_ cute, isn't he? I love his markings!" she grinned.

Markings? Again with the markings!

"He was a stray, you say?" the large male asked, bending down to examine the Doctor more closely.

"Yeah," Lim replied, also looking down at his pet.

"Kinda skinny, isn't he?" the other male added, taking the Doctor's arm and swinging him around to get a look at him from behind.

The Doctor's initial response was to turn and nail this manhandling reptile in the bullocks, but he wisely held back, remembering his mantra. Engender trust. Engender trust…

Lim, perhaps sensing the Doctor's innermost desire, reached down to take his hand. "Well, the vet thought he was healthy, so that's all that matters," Lim said in defense of his pet.

"Wouk! That was rude," the female lightly hit her husband on one of his arms, and then turned back to Lim and Yula, "He's not skinny. He's sweet. I don't like when male humans are too bulky, anyway. They're much cuter this way," she added in an effort to compensate for her husband.

Wouk, obviously chastised, offered, "Oh. Yeah… he's fine. Just hoping he's got good genetic material is all," he added.

Genetic material? What did they care about his 'genetic material'?

The female shot her husband a clear 'stop talking now' look. "Wouk, could you go get Cookie?" she smiled tightly, her voice tense. "I think I saw her in Pokka's room."

Cookie… undoubtedly their pet.

A female.

Then it all came together. The Doctor's mouth went dry. Oh Gods. They were going to try to breed him.

Just as he was coming to this alarming realization, the large male… Wouk… showed up with a human in tow. A very female human. A very… topless… female human.

The Doctor immediately cast his eyes downward. They meant him to… to… mate with her. Suffering Santori. Well, this was spectacularly awkward, wasn't it?

"Let's go into the great room, shall we?" the large female said a little too brightly. "Would you two like a cup of jupa?"

"That would be lovely," Yula replied as they followed their hosts. The Doctor didn't have much choice but to follow, as Lim still had him by the hand. The human woman followed them all of her own accord, her eyes taking in the Doctor with inquisitive interest.

Very mindful of this woman's barely clothed state, the Doctor was careful to avoid looking in her direction, which was difficult, as she placed herself at the feet of her owners directly across from where Lim had told the Doctor to sit.

The Danarians visited for a few minutes as they settled with their tea equivalent and all the while their human stared unabashedly at the Doctor, who stared resolutely at the floor in front of him.

"Well," Lim finally said, "how do we go about this? We're new to the whole 'breeding' thing. Do we just… leave them alone for a while, or what?"

That sounded good. Just leave them alone for a while, the Doctor thought. That way they could pretend something had happened and all go their merry way.

"No," the female chuckled. "We have to be sure they've copulated, otherwise we won't know if we should be looking for signs of pregnancy. What we did the last time was just put them in the breeding kennel with a blanket over it. Humans prefer privacy for copulation."

Bloody right, they did, the Doctor thought. Even if he actually _wanted_ to mate with this human… which he _never_ would… he sure as hell wouldn't… copulate… with an audience looking on. It would be a cold day in Krop Tor before he'd ever debase himself in such a way.

"We've got the kennel just over here," Wouk said, moving to open it's door. "Come, Cookie," he said in a cheery voice, patting his leg.

Cookie stood, glancing at the Doctor as she moved toward the kennel.

Gods.

"You should probably take his collar off, Lim," the female Danarian advised. "Humans like to make noise when they copulate, and he won't want to do it again if the act ends up hurting him," she said wisely.

They did? Humans liked to make noise? He wondered for a split second if Rose made noise when she…

Rassilon! Focus, man!

Pulling him up gently from under the arms, Lim turned the Doctor to face him while he used the key to loosen the collar and remove it. The Doctor once again rubbed his neck, relishing the feel of his hands on his skin there. Wait. Should he try to communicate with these Danarians now? This was his chance. The collar was off.

But that could backfire. Badly. These creatures couldn't even fathom the idea that their human could bathe itself let alone speak their language. If he just openly started talking to them, they may quickly put the collar back on in horror and never take it off again, thinking he was possessed or some such nonsense.

No. He'd better not. He'd had a plan forming in his mind ever since his collar was taken off earlier for his bath, and he was feeling more and more confident about it as the day progressed. He was pretty sure it would work. But it involved the continued trust of his owners… at least for a little while longer.

But that meant more than merely not talking. It meant he needed to at least pretend to make nice with this human. Oh… he had no intention of _making nice_ in _that_ way, of course. But he needed to at least show that he _liked_ the 'other' human, if not in the way that they'd hoped.

"But if we have a blanket over the kennel, how will we know if they've 'done it'?" Lim asked. If lizards could blush, the Doctor figured this one would be right now.

"Oh… you can hear it when they're 'done'," the other male Danarian laughed, slapping Lim on the shoulder and giving him an exaggerated wink.

Lim looked surprised, and then laughed himself. The women joined in, giggling at the comment as well.

Well, wasn't this all just a laugh riot, the Doctor scowled inwardly, hating how oblivious they were to how uncomfortable this would be to a human. He wasn't positive the woman in the kennel felt the same way as he did, but he imagined she didn't feel a whole lot better about it.

"That, and we peek in a few times just to make sure things are happening," the female said conspiratorially, her eyes twinkling.

"Alright, well… I guess we should get started, then," Lim sighed dramatically. "C'mon, Hue," he said, standing. The Doctor looked up at him blankly. Maybe if he played dumb they'd assume he was too stupid to breed. Nah. Not likely.

Lim moved over to the side of the kennel and tapped his knee like Cookie's owner had. "C'mon boy," he said, enthusiastically.

Resigned that he was going to have to at least spend some time in the kennel with this woman, the Doctor trudged over and stood in front of the cage door. If he was going to have to do at least that, then he was going to make Lim work a bit as well.

"Okay, boy. In you go," Lim gestured to the open cage door.

The Doctor didn't move, but looked at the door and then back at Lim.

"Go on," Lim said, his voice rising in an effort to sound enticing.

The Doctor merely stood there, looking at Lim with questioning eyes.

"Oh for heaven sake, Hue. Like this!" Lim kneeled on the ground on all sixes and pretended to crawl into the door of the cage, looking back at the Doctor expectantly, nodding his head, pointing at the door and patting the ground in front of it. He really looked fantastically ridiculous. Finally he sat back and gestured for the Doctor to try.

Inwardly, the Doctor allowed himself a small smirk at having made this creature look foolish. It was remarkably easy to manipulate this large lizard. It was a small and meaningless show of power, but in its petty way, it was a victory. He was so sick of allowing these creatures to feel superior to him.

Well. That was fun, but he was merely putting off the inevitable. Pretending that Lim's antics had helped him understand what he wanted, the Doctor moved toward the cage door and crawled inside.

Lim looked triumphant as he closed the kennel door behind the Doctor, thinking he'd somehow managed to teach his pet some new trick. The Doctor sighed. Once again, he was struck by how small he felt in this situation. In every way.

The sound of a throat clearing initially startled him back to reality, and he made the mistake of turning toward the sound.

"I'm Cookie," the woman beside him said softly.

The Doctor's eyes widened when he realized he was staring… how could he not, really… at two very perky breasts. "Oh! Ummmm, yeah… hello, Cookie," he said very awkwardly, tearing his eyes away from her chest to concentrate on her face. Oh, dear Rassilon. She was young. Very young. Maybe sixteen? Possibly younger, even?

His initial embarrassment turned very quickly to outrage. How _could_ they? How could they do this to a _child_? "Cookie… how old are you?" he asked, suddenly feeling very paternal. This child needed protection!

"Ummm, I'm two, but I'm turning three next week," she smiled.

Two? Oh. Danarian years. "I mean, how old are you in human years?"

"Human years? I guess… almost sixteen? Or fifteen. I forget how that works. How old are you?" she asked innocently.

The Doctor was having a difficult time remaining calm enough to answer her. He wanted to tear these Danarians a new time line for this. But she didn't need his anger. She needed his help. "I'm old enough to be your great-great-great-great… well, throw in a few more 'great's and then finish it with 'grandfather'. That's how old I am. How long have you been here?" he asked, as calmly as he could.

"I've lived here since I was little. I think I was five, in human years, when I was adopted," she answered, before asking, "How can you be so old? You don't look older than the last male they had visit."

She sounded so matter of fact. The Doctor wanted to be sick. So they'd tried to breed her before. This _child_ had been… taken… by some random male human for the pleasure of her owners. It made the Doctor feel ill.

"Have you had any children?" the Doctor asked kindly, frightened to hear her answer.

The girl laughed. "No, silly. If I did, it would still be here, wouldn't it. Babies can't live on their own until they're at least one year old, you know," she said, as if educating a preschooler.

So they took babies from their mothers as early as one Danarian year, or five-ish human years. The thought of a human child separated from it's parent so early on… humans generally needed their parents to care for them for at least twelve to sixteen years, depending on the culture. Maybe that's how they controlled the 'education' of their humans here. Something like the human aboriginals in Canada on earth in the 20th century who were taken from their parents at a very young age so they could be schooled about the 'right' religion. Take the children away before they had formed many ideas of their own so they could be 'trained' to think the 'correct' way. The idea was so very wrong.

"Soooo…" the girl said, sidling up a bit closer to the Doctor. "Should we… maybe, you know…" she said, her eyes looking deeply into his own.

The Doctor all but jumped back when he realized her intention. She _wanted_ to do this? Oh, Gods. Of course, she did. How would she know any better? Her owners wanted her to… that was clear. She probably had no idea that she even had a choice. And it was likely that the last male she was introduced to hadn't had a problem with it.

"Oh, uh… look… Cookie, you're… lovely… but you're too young for this. They shouldn't be breeding you. They shouldn't be breeding _anyone_, for that matter," he said, letting some anger slip into his voice.

"Why not?" she asked, truly taken aback. "I'm old enough. The neighbours started breeding my friend Rusty when she was two and a half! She didn't have a baby until she was three and a half, though," she said thoughtfully. "But she said she got to eat as much as she wanted the whole time she was pregnant. And they even let her sleep on one of their beds when she was nursing the baby."

The Doctor wanted to cry for this girl. This was actually _normal_ for her. That she didn't know that life could be any better was bitterly saddening.

The girl slid up against him again, and this time the Doctor didn't have anymore room to back away. She ran a finger down the Doctor's chest toward the elastic of his pants.

Unable to move anywhere, the Doctor actually grabbed the girl by the arms and held her back from him. "Cookie… we can't," he said, solemnly.

Cookie stared at him, her arms still in his grip. Tears began to fill her eyes. Then, angrily shaking herself free of him, she turned away, pulling her legs up to curl herself up into a ball.

"Cookie…" he said, feeling badly for having hurt her feelings, "it's not that you're not…" he gulped, sick that anyone but another teenager would even consider the idea, "...attractive. It's just…" He decided to go for the path of least rejection for her. "I have a mate. I was...a stray… and I had a mate who was taken from me. She was… is… the only person I could _be_ with." The truth of his statement startled him, even as he said it. Rose was the only one he'd even consider giving himself to in that way. The only one for him. Gods. He was a goner, and he knew it.

Cookie turned around slowly at his admission. "Really?" she asked, her voice small.

"Really," he confirmed, both for her benefit and his. It was true.

"Oh," she said, relaxing visibly. "I'm sorry. I've never known anyone who had a mate. What's it like?"

Now that was a loaded question, wasn't it? How could he answer that. It was terrifying. And thrilling and brilliant. At least the acknowledgement of it in his hearts was. He'd yet to really put it into practice. But could he? He wanted to. He really wanted to. More than he'd ever admitted to himself before. He suspected that Rose might reciprocate his feelings, but he'd never dared venture in that direction with her.

Realizing that Cookie was waiting for an answer, he tried to come up with words to summarize what it might be like to really joined with his brilliant girl. "It's… fantastic. She's brilliant. And patient and… brave. She looks out for me. She's saved me. In so many ways." None of that was conjecture. It was all so very true. "She… makes me better. And I honestly don't know what I'd do if I couldn't get back to her," he said truthfully. A pang of longing filled him and the feeling frightened him. It reminded him too strongly of the gaping hole the destruction of Gallifrey left in his hearts.

"Wow," the young girl said, now watching him intently. "Well, I hope you get to see her again," she said consolingly.

"Yeah," he managed to reply, emotion beginning to choke him. Gods. Get ahold of yourself, he self admonished. Pining wasn't going to solve anything.

"So," the girl said. "How old are you, really?"

The Doctor smiled. "I'm honestly as old as I said. I'm not human. I'm a Time Lord. From another planet. Me and my mate landed here to visit in my ship and ended up captured by this lot," he gestured out the kennel door, "and here I am," he shared.

Cookie looked thoughtful. "But… who was taking care of you? On your ship?"

An expression of sadness crossed the Doctor's features. "We took care of ourselves, Cookie. We travelled the universe, helping others, exploring, learning about other species. Humans… and Time Lords… we don't _need_ Danarians to survive. In fact, there are other humans across the universe who are living free. You humans are a brilliant species. You've managed to travel through space all on your own. You've become a very prevalent species in the universe. All because you're stubborn and brilliant all at the same time," the Doctor said wistfully.

Cookie looked at him, obviously not sure whether she should believe him or not. It must seem preposterous to her, he realized. The humans here had learned to be helpless. To rely solely on others to care for them. It would take some real learning on their part to become self reliant again.

"I don't hear anything, do you?" the Doctor heard Yula's voice comment from outside the kennel. The Danarians had been talking amongst themselves up until now, but clearly the lack of romantic noises had finally gotten their attention.

"No… it's awfully quiet in there," the other female confirmed.

The Doctor heard shuffling from the other side of the blanket before it was lifted up to reveal a set of Danarian eyes looking in at him.

"They're just sitting there," the female said to the other Danarians while still holding up the blanket.

Lim sighed. "I was afraid this was going to happen. The vet said that if a human mates, it's sometimes for life. We wondered if he was mated to the female he was found with when he was brought in to the shelter," he sighed again.

The female removed the blanket altogether and sat back just looking at them.

"Mmmm. That's too bad," the other male said. "Still… at least we got to see you all again," he smiled. "Now… Mollit, did I hear you say there were some hiofa puffs in the oven?" he grinned.

"Oh, Wouk. All you think of is your stomachs!" she laughed, getting up and moving out of the room.

Momentarily ignored, the Doctor sighed. Well. That went well. It was informative, at least. And again, if the cup was half full, he _did_ have his collar off. If he was lucky, they'd forget to put it back on when they left, making it likely he could put his plan into action even sooner than he'd planned.


	9. Trained

The Doctor's first day at school turns out to be much more than he bargained for.

* * *

**CHAPTER 9 - Heeled: Trained**

It was three days later when the Doctor finally got the break he was looking for.

After their visit with Cookie and her family, Lim had insisted the Doctor wear his collar, despite Sanjay's request to the contrary. His reasoning was that their pet was going to be trained soon and that he'd rather the trainer tell them when he thought their pet was ready to be 'de-collared'. He'd apparently read somewhere that if you take off the collar too soon, the human could 'regress'.

The topic of 'human training' came up numerous times over the next couple of days. During one of his nightly house tours, the Doctor came across a brochure for 'Joyful Humans'; the training school Lim had been talking about with his wife. It promised the following:

_Joyful Human's services address common human behavior issues:_

_• Jumping up on owners_

_• Not coming when called_

_• Pulling on leash_

_• Chewing and biting_

_• Excessive talking_

_• Aggression toward other human_

_• Housetraining accidents_

_• General lack of good manners_

_Joyful Human offers private human training and group classes to clients in _

_Stump Canyon, Cliff Township, Brudlaw City, and North East Herptilia. _

_Joyful Human's full range of professional services can provide an effective, _

_customized solution for you and your human._

The Doctor had been tempted to hide it, but thought it might only serve to get one of the kids in trouble for moving it or playing with it. They could certainly look the school up easily enough again anyway.

Finally, on the third day after their last outing, he woke from a short nighttime kip to find the house bustling despite the early hour of six o'clock. Sanjay had apparently been so excited about today that he'd barely slept last night, the Doctor overheard from his kennel. He'd had his suspicions about what exactly 'today' was, but they were finally confirmed when he was eavesdropping, that today was his first day at the 'Joyful Human' training school. Fan-bloody-tastic. Well, at least he'd be getting out again. More possibility of escape when out of the house than when he was in it.

Deciding the Doctor needed to look especially presentable for his first day at training school, Yula once again drew him a bath. This time, she'd not bothered trying to remove his pants, for which he was desperately thankful. The thought of having that fight again exhausted him. Settling him in the bath, she handed him the soap and merely watched, amused, as he proceeded to clean himself. Sanjay had decided to watch as well, but he didn't interfere either, for which the Doctor was grateful.

His head had healed nicely and his hair was starting to grow back now, so at least he didn't have to worry about his injury this time.

They'd removed his collar again, but the Doctor wasn't holding his breath for them to leave it off, as Lim had made it clear that he wanted it on until the trainer said it was okay to remove it.

His bath done, Yula helped him out of the tub and dried him vigorously with a fluffy towel. "There. All clean. He looks adorable when he's clean, doesn't he?" Yula said more to herself than to Sanjay. She ran her fingers through his hair, pulling it straight up into a funny spikey shape.

Sanjay laughed at the 'style' his mother had organized for his pet. "He looks great! Let's keep his hair that way, Mommy!"

Yula laughed. "I don't think it'll stay like that," she smiled.

The Doctor begged to disagree, but said nothing.

"Mommy, can I show Hue my new Plaffin toy?" he asked excitedly.

Yula pulled something out from behind her, and the Doctor was excited to see it was the shirt they'd purchased for him a while back. He'd yet to actually wear it and he was never so thankful to see a piece of fabric in his lives. He hoped the trousers were behind Yula as well.

Pulling the shirt over his head, Yula smiled as he inserted his arms in the short sleeves.

"Well. Don't you look handsome," she said, surveying him proudly. Well, he couldn't fault her eyesight, if nothing else, the Doctor thought.

Yula turned to hang up the towel on a hook behind the door. No pants today, it looked like, the Doctor thought glumly.

"Mommy? Can I show him my toy?" the boy repeated.

"What? Oh… sure, sweety. Just don't get him dirty, okay? And we have to go in fifteen minutes," Yula warned as the boy took the Doctor's hand to lead him out of the loo.

The Doctor was following Sanjay for a couple moments before he realized he still wasn't wearing his collar. Yula hadn't put it back on him. His stomach flipped. This was his chance. He could begin the process of getting free and finding Rose.

Sanjay led him into his room and let go of his hand to rummage in his toy box.

After a few quiet moments standing behind the boy, the Doctor ventured softly, "Ummm, Sanjay?"

Sanjay spun around, startled, looking around the room for the source of the voice.

"Sanjay?" he tried again, watching the boy intently.

Sanjay's mouth dropped open in shock. "Hue? Did you just talk to me?!" he said, wide-eyed.

"Uh, yeah. Hi," he sang with a big toothy grin and a little wave.

Sanjay dropped down onto all sixes, looking at his pet in wonder. Slowly, a huge smile spread across his features. "You can talk!"

"Sure can," the Doctor confirmed, smiling.

"Wow. How come you didn't talk before?" the boy asked, confused.

"Well," the Doctor said, rubbing the back of his thankfully naked neck, "when I talk, the collar shocks me, and it really hurts. So, I don't want to talk when the collar is on."

"Oh," Sanjay said, his brows furrowed. He clearly didn't like that idea. Then his expression changed. "You get to go to school today!" he said happily.

"Yeah, I heard," the Doctor said, trying not to sound as dubious about it as he felt.

"You get to learn stuff, just like me at school. Maybe you'll get some friends, too. I have friends at my school," the boy informed him.

The Doctor sighed dramatically.

The young lizard crooked his head and watched the Doctor for a moment. "Are you sad?"

The Doctor was actually quite impressed that this young reptile was as good as he was at deciphering human's expressions. "Yeah, a bit. You see… I have a friend already. Her name is Rose. I miss her. Very much," he said, not needing to add any drama to that statement.

"Oh," Sanjay said. "Where is she?" he asked, innocently.

The Doctor looked earnestly up into the young lizard's eyes. "I don't know. And all I want in the world is to see her again. I can't be really happy without her. Do you understand?"

"Yeah," the boy said, looking worried. "I lost Mommy once when we were in the shop. I was really scared. Are you scared?" he asked, renewed concern on his face.

The Doctor returned the boy's serious question with an honest answer. "Yes. Yes, I am," he said. And he was. Scared that she was somewhere being mistreated. Scared that he wouldn't find her before something terrible happened to her. Scared that he might not get the chance to tell her…

But he wasn't going to think like that. He had to believe he would find her again.

"I don't want you to be scared, Hue." Then the little lizard brightened. "Hey! Maybe we can find her! We found you at the shelter… maybe she's there, too!" he said, pleased he'd thought of the idea.

"Well that would be fantastic, Sanjay. It really would. Maybe you could talk your Dad into taking us for a ride there to look around or something. Maybe we could look for her," the Doctor said enthusiastically, trying to build up the idea for the boy.

"Okay! I'll tell Mommy you want to go find her. She'll take us," he said confidently.

"Yeah… about that," the Doctor said seriously, "you can't tell your folks about this, okay? About me talking. This is just between us, alright?"

"But… I have to tell Mom… she's going to be so excited!" Sanjay replied, his eyes wide.

"Yeah, but here's the thing," the Doctor advised, "I can only talk to kids. Adults can't understand me. And if you tell them, they might think there's something wrong with me and take me away," he said. He felt a tingle of guilt about the last comment; using Sanjay's feelings for him against him. But he had to do what he had to do to escape. Rose was counting on him.

A worried frown crossed the little reptile's features. "Oh. Okay… I won't tell," he nodded decidedly.

"That's good," the Doctor smiled at him. "Now. Can you show me this toy of yours?" the Doctor asked in an effort to show he had good intentions.

"Sure!" Sanjay said happily. Once again digging in his toy chest, he emerged with the toy he'd wanted to show the Doctor earlier. "Here it is! My Aunty Freea gave it to me. It's SO cool! Look," he said, rotating one of the levers on the side of the toy, causing it to project a hologram of a cartoon character on the floor in front of it. "And watch," Sanjay said enthusiastically, turning another lever, which made the hologram turn it's head to look at them both. "It's like it can see us!" he said, enthralled with his toy.

The Doctor smiled. The boy just found out his pet can talk and he was already distracted by something else. The universe was just a pile of new facts for children. They wondered at them for a while and then integrated them into their scheme of knowledge for future use. Kids were brilliant.

A few minutes passed with the Doctor sitting beside Sanjay as he played with his toy. Finally, knowing his time was limited, the Doctor broached, "I guess we'll be going soon, yeah?"

"Yeah. Hey… maybe I can bring you to school! I can't wait to tell my friends how you can talk," the boy said excitedly, obviously inspired by the Doctor's impending training experience.

The Doctor thought about the merits of other children knowing he could communicate. Really… did it matter? No one ever believed children about such fanciful things, and it would make Sanjay happy.

"Yeah. I imagine they'll be surprised," he confirmed. "But, you won't be able to prove it unless I can keep the collar off," the Doctor mock frowned.

Sanjay looked concerned. He definitely wanted his friend to believe him.

"Maybe you should wait to tell them until your Dad stops putting the collar on me," he said. If he could put a bit of pressure on Lim to take the collar off sooner by getting his son to nag him to death, he'd be that much closer to getting what he needed.

Sanjay looked dejected. "Yeah. I guess." Then his expression brightened. "Daddy said the trainer might let you take the collar off, though… so maybe you can get it off today," he said hopefully.

"Maybe. That would be nice," the Doctor confirmed. "I really don't like it. It hurts my neck," not completely lying.

Sanjay frowned, remembering that he didn't like that something was hurting his pet. "Well, I'll ask Daddy again if you can have it off today," he said. "I wouldn't want a collar on me all day if it hurt, either," he said, immediately taking the Doctor's perspective.

So much more willing to see the other side of the coin, kids were. They just needed to be shown. It wasn't going to be nearly this easy with the adults on this planet, he knew.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The whole family came along for the ride to the training school. When they arrived at the field where the 'schooling' must take place, there were already a number of families there with their pets. On the field, someone had set up a number of 'centres' that the humans probably had to go through during the training. This should be interesting, the Doctor mused, looking around, taking in a particularly interesting set up involving a long tunnel and some sort of high jump.

"Good morning," a male's voice greeted them. The lizard that had approached them held a clipboard and looked friendly enough. "Who's this then?" he asked, looking down at the Doctor.

"He's Hue," Sanjay answered. "He's really smart," he added for good measure.

For a moment the Doctor was scared he might elaborate on i_why_/i his pet was so smart, but thankfully he didn't.

"I'm sure he is," the male smiled down at him. "I'm Bem. I'll be helping you train him," he said.

"Pleased to meet you," Lim said. "Yeah… we're pretty happy with Hue. He's a great pet. Pretty smart, as far as humans go, as well, I think. But then, you'll be able to tell us if that's true," Lim said, clearly deferring to the trainer's greater knowledge of humans.

Sanjay used that opportunity to put in his first bid to get permission to remove the Doctor's collar. "Yeah, and he's real quiet too. He doesn't make any noise," Sanjay said, giving the Doctor and exaggerated conspiratorial nod before continuing, "so Daddy said we can take his collar off if you say it's okay." The boy looked up hopefully at the trainer, batting his big lizardy eyes at him.

Geez, he could take lessons from this kid, the Doctor mused.

The trainer, looked a bit surprised at the pronouncement, but recovered quickly. "Oh, well… how long have you had him?" Bem asked Lim and Yula.

"A couple of weeks. He was a stray. But he must've been with a family before us, 'cause he's really quite well behaved. At the beginning he tried to run off a couple of times, but other than that, he's been a gem," Yula said in support of her pet's general disposition.

"Right. Well, that's a good sign. Have you had his collar off yet?" he asked authoritatively.

"He's had it off for his bath, and once when we were trying to breed him. He really was quiet both times," Yula reflected.

"Well, I suppose you could give it a try. If he starts being noisy, though, I'd suggest using the collar again for a few more weeks, just to make sure he learns the rules," the human expert replied.

"Yay!" Sanjay celebrated. "Did you hear that, Hue? You can get your collar off! Aren't you excited?"

The Doctor smiled at Sanjay, as he might if the boy had merely been cooing random sounds at him rather than expecting an answer from him.

Luckily, the family took no notice of the boy's expectant look at his pet. Even if they had, though, how many kids talked to their pets as if they actually expected them to answer? Quite a few, he guessed.

When his parents weren't looking, the boy bent down and whispered to him, "Now I can tell my friends about you," he grinned. "I bet i_their_/i humans can't talk," he said, proudly.

"Oookaaay!" Bem called in a bid to get the attention of his class. "Could everyone please gather round," he directed. Everyone quieted down and moved with their pets to form a loose circle around the trainer. "Welcome to Joyful Humans training school," he began. "I'm Bem, I'll be your your instructor for the next ten weeks. We're here to help you and your human form a healthy, respectful bond, and to teach your pet the basics of being a proper family member. Now, the first lesson…"

The instructor droned on for a few minutes as the Doctor looked around. The other humans were a varied lot. There were eight others besides him. Most were younger, though one or two were adults. Clothing your humans appeared optional, generally, though thankfully, all wore at least pants. A few had shirts, but none were wearing trousers. The Doctor wondered if they were instructed to avoid them for this class.

He continued his musing until he noticed a family trundling toward them from the parking lot. It looked like it was quite a large family that had decided to all attend with their pet on its first day of school. At least four younger lizards and one baby were among them. Their pet was a blonde human male, as far as he could make out from where he stood. Looked to be in his late teens or early twenties. He was wearing a black t-shirt similar to the Doctor's, but it had a saying on it of some kind that the Doctor couldn't make out. A boy a bit older than Sanjay held his black leash, pulling him a bit too roughly for the Doctor's liking.

That was when he caught sight of another human being led by a younger lizard who had fallen behind the rest of the group. From this distance he couldn't make out features, but could see the bright pink leash and collar. As they drew closer, the Doctor's breath caught. It was a female. A woman. A blonde woman. Could… could it be…

The woman in question was holding the hand of the reptile beside her. She was actively scanning the group she was approaching, seemingly searching it for something… someone…

Suddenly, her eyes met his. Rose.


	10. Rewarded

Thanks for all your fabulous feedback! You all were pretty happy to see Rose... now we just have to hope the Doctor and figure out a way to see her again...

* * *

**CHAPTER 10 - Heeled: Rewarded**

_He continued his musing until he noticed a family trundling toward them from the parking lot. It looked like it was quite a large family that had decided to all attend with their pet on its first day of school. At least four smaller lizards and one baby were among them. Their pet was a blonde human male, as far as he could make out from where he stood. Looked to be in his late teens or early twenties. He was wearing a black t-shirt similar to the Doctor's, but it had a saying on it of some kind that the Doctor couldn't make out. A boy a bit older than Sanjay held his black leash, pulling him a bit too roughly for the Doctor's liking._

_That was when he caught sight of another human being led by a younger lizard who had fallen behind the rest of the group. From this distance he couldn't make out features, but could see the bright pink leash and collar. As they drew closer, the Doctor's breath caught. It was a female. A woman. A blonde woman. Could… could it be…_

_The woman in question was holding the hand of the reptile beside her. She was actively scanning the group she was approaching, seemingly searching it for something… someone…_

_Suddenly, her eyes met his. Rose._

When her gaze met his, her jaw dropped, a huge smile quickly lighting her face.

For the Doctor's part, he could barely breathe. Rose. His Rose.

She looked well as far as he could see from this distance… thank the gods. She was clothed in a frilly pink t-shirt and lighter pink knickers that looked more like men's boxers. He breathed a sigh of relief. At least she'd been looked after and wasn't being paraded around naked.

Looking quickly up to Sanjay, who was now holding his leash, he tugged on it a bit to get his attention and pointed at Rose. Sanjay turned to look in her direction and then looked back down at his pet. The Doctor pointed at himself and then back at Rose, and then pulled lightly on the leash to indicate he wanted to go to her.

Sanjay got the message right away and looked up at his mother and father who were busy watching the instructor, then looked back at the Doctor and nodded. Turning away from Lim and Yula, the boy started walking toward the family Rose was walking with.

Running ahead a bit, but not too far, the Doctor urged the boy forward faster by holding and pulling on his leash which was still looped in the boy's hand. "Hey! That's Stala!" Sanjay said from behind him, now running along with the Doctor. "Hi, Stala!" he shouted as they approached the family.

The girl holding Rose's leash waved and smiled as she ran forward with Rose as a very willing sidekick.

Finally reaching each other, the Doctor threw his arms around Rose and held her tightly, nestling his nose in her hair. She returned his hug fiercely, her fingers digging into his back as she wrapped her arms around his narrow frame, squeezing him hard. He took a deep breath, breathing her in. Rose's delicious scent, covered a bit by the smell of the same soap he'd been bathed with earlier, enveloped him. Gods… he missed her. He wanted to stop time altogether and immerse himself in this moment for as long as the universe would allow. But he needed to talk to her. Was she alright? Had they been treating her well? Pulling back from their embrace, he studied her. She was wearing a collar, but just a fabric one… at least she hadn't had to suffer that way. She looked like she hadn't been sleeping much, with dark rings rimming her eyes. He could see a few bruises on her legs and arms, marring her otherwise perfect skin. He must've looked concerned, as she quickly realized what he was thinking.

"I'm fine, Doctor. 'M fine… really. God… I've missed you so much," she said, her voice cracking a bit with emotion as she pulled herself to him again in another tight embrace. The Doctor could feel her trembling as he held her. Squeezing her a bit harder, he felt her flush against him, her warmth seeping through his light t-shirt and pants. He suddenly became quite aware of his… and mostly _her_ current state of dress… or undress, as was more the case… as he felt Rose's pert un-bra-ed breasts push up against his chest under her filly t-shirt. He quickly realized that if this hug didn't end soon, there would be no denying how very much he really missed this incredible girl. Luckily, Rose pulled back from him then, as he wasn't sure he actually would've had the willpower to do so himself, and her eyes fell to his collar. Her fingers rose to touch it, feeling the hard metal. "To keep you quiet?"

The Doctor nodded solemnly.

Rose's lips quirked into a half smile. "Didn't think there was anything that could do that. Should've thought of that ages ago," her tongue touching her teeth as she smiled more widely.

The Doctor grinned right back, loving the way that smile lit up her face. And to think he was starting to worry that he might never see her beautiful face again. She was here. Smiling and gorgeous and brilliantly safe.

Most of Stala's family had gone on ahead, but her mother had held back with Stala, presumably to allow her and Sanjay chat. In the distance, he heard Lim calling to his son. Turning to look for his parents, the boy said, "C'mon Hue… we gotta go."

A bit of panic seized him. He'd just found her. Grabbing her hand, the Doctor looked up at Sanjay entreatingly.

Stala's mother, taking in the exchange, smiled. "Wow… I think your…Hue, you said?" she asked Sanjay.

Sanjay nodded.

"Your… Hue… really likes our little Daisy!" she grinned, looking down at them.

The Doctor looked at Rose, quirking an eyebrow.

"Yeah. Daisy. Don't laugh," she whispered to him, rolling her eyes. "Besides… it's better than 'Hue'," she teased, elbowing him in the ribs.

He grinned at her knowing he'd really won the lottery on that one. _Daisy_. Strictly speaking, the TARDIS had translated the word as close to something earth related as possible, but the Danarian word didn't refer to the exact same species of plant as the English word did. Close enough. But… Daisy? Still. Better than 'Blondie' or 'Cricket' or something. At least they were in the ball park, as it _was_ flower related.

"C'mon then," Stala's mother told her, "we can't have Daisy be late for her first lesson, otherwise Rex will learn everything before she does," her mother smiled.

Rex? Oh. The male he'd seen. Wait. A male? She was sharing a house with a male human. A young male human. The Doctor's traitorous brain began digging up images of Rose sharing a kennel with 'Rex', wearing nothing but her knickers and light practically see through t-shirt. Rex would be encouraged by her youth and undeniable beauty… not that males on this planet needed to be encouraged by much, he imagined, as their opportunity to 'breed' was probably pretty limited at the best of times. Oh Gods. Breeding. Were they trying to breed her? With Rex? A haze of red began filtering his vision as he imagined his girl having to push the young male away from her… him demanding more of her than she was willing to give. At least… he imagined it was more than she was willing to give. But then, who was to say she wasn't interested? It's not like she didn't have _needs_. She was only human, after all. And it wasn't like he'd been of any help in that regard since she started travelling with him. Maybe this was just the opportunity she'd been hoping for, thinking that the Doctor had no interest in her that way. Bloody hell. What had he been thinking! It could've been _him_ shagging Rose all this time, and instead, she was looking for comfort in the arms of some douche named 'Rex'!

They all began walking back toward the instructor, with the Doctor holding Rose's hand tightly as they were led on their leashes by Sanjay and Stala. Rose shot him a few concerned looks, obviously noticing his furrowed brow and newly formed scowl. "Doctor… I've been so worried about you," Rose whispered to him as they walked. "Have they been treating you alright?" she asked, clearly concerned.

The Doctor let the frown drop from his face. What the hell was he thinking? Here they were, he'd finally found his precious girl, and he was letting himself indulge in a ridiculous jealous self-loathing inner battle. And obviously she cared for _him_, not some twenty-something virile male she'd been caged with, right? She'd clearly been worried about where he'd been and how he was being treated, after all. He inwardly shook his head at his earlier train of thought. He needed to concentrate on freeing them.

Realizing she'd been waiting for him to answer, he nodded. He'd been very lucky to end up where he did. It could definitely have been worse. He tightened his grip on Rose's hand just a bit more in an effort to reassure her. Rose smiled, obviously a bit relieved.

"I wish… I wish we didn't…" Rose said before trailing off. What? Didn't what? The Doctor tugged her arm lightly in an effort to get her to continue with her thought. Rose looked at him, but looked away, biting her lip. Gods… he wished he could be the one biting that full bottom lip right now. "Nothing," she replied, "It's nothing. I just missed you, is all," she finished. He nodded sadly, once again squeezing her hand, wishing he could tell her he had missed her too. He knew he'd have to let Rose go again, and the idea actually hurt. At least now he knew where he could find her. Here, at these lessons. That meant he was going to see her at least once a week. And now that he was going to get to be collarless at home, he might be able to work it so that he'd have them both free in short order.

As they got closer to the large group, the Doctor could hear the trainer bellow instructions to his class, "Right! Now if you could all please line up with your pets somewhere along this marker here. Leave at least a few feet between you and the next family." The families began to move and Sanjay tugged the Doctor gently by the collar to direct him back to Lim and Yula.

Before they were forcibly separated, Rose whispered urgently in his ear, "I'm working on something to get free. Don't worry, Doctor… I'll find you." Rose nodded reassuringly as their hands were pulled apart, with her family heading to another spot on the field. The Doctor shook his head fiercely in her direction. He needed to know what she was planning before she tried anything. What if she got hurt? What if she was discovered and brought back to the kennel? At least now he knew where she was and when he'd see her again.

Rose looked back at him questioningly, obviously not sure what he was objecting to. Damn it! He needed to bloody _talk_ to her!

"Common Hue," Sanjay said, encouraging him to follow a bit faster. The Doctor scowled. Damn it! He stomped along beside Sanjay until they joined Lim and Yula facing the instructor alongside the rest of the class participants. Looking along the line, he tried to see where Rose was situated. Finally he spotted her, standing with her owners and Rex about five families over. She spotted him finally as well, and they maintained eye contact, despite their distance. God, he loathed being separated from her. He ached to just be able to keep holding her as he had moments ago. That's where she belonged. In his arms. Where he could make sure she came to no harm.

The instructor was calling out instructions to the families, but the Doctor wasn't listening, lost in his thoughts as he was. And that's when he made a mistake.

While the Doctor stood, gazing at Rose and contemplating their situation, Lim was talking to Sanjay, telling him what he needed to do for the first exercise. "We have to get Hue to come when you call him. The instructor wants you to stand tall, pat your leg, and call Hue's name. When you do, I'll lead him to you, and you give him a treat, okay? That's how he'll learn what to do when you say 'Come', okay?" Lim confirmed.

"Is that how animals learn to understand us, Daddy?" Sanjay asked.

"Pretty much, buddy. Maybe someday he'll even be able to understand us if we say something like… 'Hue! Come here and hold Sanjay's hand'" Lim said in a raised, happy voice, patting his leg.

The Doctor, distracted just then from his thoughts by Lim's commanding voice, did as he was told and sauntered over to Sanjay and took his hand.

Both Lim and Yula's mouth dropped open, as did Sanjay's. Looking up at them, the Doctor momentarily wondered what they were gawking at. That's when he realized what he'd done. Fuck.

He began tugging on the boy's arm and pointing at Rose. Maybe it would look like he'd just come over and taken the child's hand to get his attention… not because he'd been commanded to do so and had understood everything they were saying.

He breathed an inward sigh of relief when Yula and Lim looked in the direction the Doctor was pointing. Both lizards realized what the Doctor was pointing at when Rose waved at them.

Lim laughed. "For a minute there I thought he was actually listening to me!"

Yula grinned. "I thought so too for a minute!"

"It looks like Hue likes that female," Lim said, looking down at his pet and back at the brightly dressed pink and yellow human down the field.

"Wait a minute… is that… it is! That's Henny and Gard Dartmouth, Lim! We haven't seen them in years!" She waved at them, smiling hugely. "What a coincidence to see them again here. Must be training their human as well," she said to her husband, who offered a smile and waved as well.

"Looks like it," Lim confirmed. "Oh, dear Kila… do they have _two_ humans there? Holy… they're barmy taking on two new humans at once," he said, shaking his head.

"Hey… we should introduce Hue to their female. He seems interested in her," Yula said, gazing down at the Doctor who was still watching Rose.

He'd heard every word they were saying, of course, but didn't shift his gaze. He didn't want there to be any question as to his 'interest' in the blonde female he was staring at.

"Well it looks like they've already got a male for her," Lim said, reminding Yula of the family's other pet human.

"Oh, right. Oh well. It would still be nice for Hue to meet some other humans," Yula offered, a bit deflated.

"They already hugged," Sanjay said, looking up at his parents. Both Lim and Yula looked down at their son at the same time.

"What do you mean, son?" Lim asked.

"Hue saw Daisy and wanted to go see her, so I brought him over to her.

"Daisy?" Yula asked, frowning.

"Daisy is Stala's human. She has a human just like me! Her brother got a human too, but Hue didn't like him as much as he liked Daisy."

"Stala? Is that your friend Stala from school? I didn't realize her last name was Dartmouth. Well, isn't it a small world," Yula shook her head.

Yula turned to Lim, "Well now we have to talk to them after class, Lim. Maybe we can have them by our place sometime for jupa. Funny that Hue hugged their female. I wonder if she looks like the female he mated with?"

"You never know," Lim offered helpfully.

Yula hummed, thinking. "I wonder how long they've had her," she thought aloud.

Too long, the Doctor thought bitterly. Too long by far.

"Oops… we should be practicing with Hue. The instructor's coming. Let's try that 'come' exercise with him," Lim said, directing Sanjay to stand in one spot while he led the Doctor away a few feet.

"Okay, Sanjay. Call him like I showed you," Lim instructed.

"I think he already know how to do this, Daddy," Sanjay said, looking at his pet dubiously.

"Well, maybe," Lim agreed, seeming to recall the Doctor responding to a similar command earlier. "But it doesn't hurt to remind him," he said decidedly, gesturing Sanjay to pat his leg and call their pet.

Sanjay stood facing the Doctor and patted his knee. "Come, Hue!" he called enthusiastically.

Knowing he'd already demonstrated his understanding of this particular command...unlike the last one...the Doctor knew it was safe to follow the direction right away. When the Doctor reached Sanjay, the boy took a 'treat' out of his pocket and offered it to the Doctor. Wanting to make sure he looked like he approved of coming to this place, he took the proffered reward and popped it in his mouth. Mmmm. Reminded him of a jelly baby. It was even shaped similarly, but with four arms instead of two. He could see the value of actually working for a reward if it tasted like this. He'd done much more in the past for access to his favourite confection.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Rose completing a similar task. His brilliant girl. She would also have been able to understand everything they'd been saying to her, as the TARDIS would be translating Danarian for her as well. She'd obviously come to the same conclusion as he had… to keep her intelligence to herself and wait for an opportunity to escape.

The class continued on for another forty-five minutes or so with the participants working on similar exercises throughout. The Doctor kept an eye on Rose on and off throughout the lesson, watching her and her family interact. Her young Danarian handler seemed to be generally respectful of her, as far as he could see. The same wasn't particularly true of her human housemate, however, as the Danarian boy who was taking him through the class was obviously not as careful with his pet as Rose's Danarian was. Well he'd better not offer Rose any of that kind of treatment, lest he end up on the wrong side of the Doctor's leash one day, he thought darkly.

Finally, the instructor wrapped up the class with a friendly but stern reminder to owners to practice with their pets every day until they met next.

The class began breaking apart, and the Doctor felt his anxiety rise as Rose was beginning to be led away by one of the adults in her family.

"Lim, hurry - I want to chat with the Dartmouths before they go!" Yula said, already walking toward the family in question. The Doctor was thankful for her enthusiasm, as he would at least get to see Rose again for a few moments.

Lim muttered something before taking the Doctor's leash from Sanjay. "Okay, buddy… let's go play nice," he said a bit grumpily. The Doctor surely didn't share Lim's cranky outlook, however, as they followed Yula and made their way across the field toward the other family.

Rose, seeing the Doctor approaching, visibly relaxed, her shoulders dropping, obviously also relieved she was going to see him again. The Doctor, knowing he needed to make sure his family knew her importance to him, once again took her in his arms. This was no hardship, however, and he once again relished the feel of her there.

"Doctor… I've been talking to Stala… the little girl… and telling her about you," Rose whispered in his ear. "She knows how important you are to me and she wants to help me. I think she might be able to help us see each other again before next week, okay?" Rose said, trying to impart as much information as she could to him before they had to break apart.

The Doctor, pulled back to look at her. Brilliant girl. He beamed. Same strategy, different child! Ha!

The Doctor nodded a big affirmative before pulling her into another hug. If he'd had a voice, he'd not have had an excuse for so many touchy moments, but as it was, he could get away with it for at least today, so get away with it he would. Hugging her tightly, he once again breathed her in. Even a few days away from her would be too many, he knew.

While he and Rose once again reaffirmed their interest in each other in front of their 'owners', their families had been getting reaquainted, exchanging surprised 'Hello again!"s and various other pleasantries.

"It looks like our Hue really likes your human, Henny," Yula said, smiling down at their once again hugging pets.

"Looks like it," Stala's mother agreed, watching them, shaking her head. "Our Daisy was a stray… they found her with a brown haired male… maybe she thinks Hue is actually _him_," Henny said.

"It looks like you have _two_ humans! You guys are brave, taking on two new pets at once," Yula laughed, looking down affectionately at Rex.

"Yeah, well, that's a _whole_ other long story," Henny laughed. "I'll have to tell you all about it. Speaking of… would you like to come around for jupa sometime? Stala talks about Sanjay all the time, and you could bring Hue as well," she smiled.

"Well, that would be lovely, wouldn't it, Lim?" she said looking at her husband.

"Oh, yeah… that sounds fantastic," he confirmed, smiling as well.

"Excellent! How about… tomorrow afternoon?" Henny asked, looking to her husband for his agreement. He merely smiled and nodded. "We can maybe hang out in the yard and Gard can barbeque us some glendrocks for supper," Henny suggested, looking to Yula and Lim for their acceptance of the invitation.

"Wonderful!" Yula said, agreeably. "Can I bring anything?" she offered. "How about a nice dandelion salad?"

"Sure… that would be lovely," Henny agreed. "Well let's call it a date, then," the female said happily.

The Doctor's hearts quickened. He'd see Rose again as soon as tomorrow. Brilliant!

Rose seemed equally as happy about this development. If Lim held true to his word, the Doctor would be able to be collarless by tonight and he'd be able to finally talk with Rose tomorrow. Finally, things seemed to be looking up.


	11. Heart to Hearts

**CHAPTER 11 - Heeled: Heart to Hearts**

After his eventful first visit to the Joyful Humans training school, the family had sadly not gone straight home. Instead, they'd apparently agreed to spend the rest of the afternoon and evening at Sanjay's grandparent's place, where the Doctor had been relegated to sitting in a corner for most of the visit. Grandma, apparently, didn't care for humans, and insisted her grandson's pet stay in the corner so 'it wouldn't get hair all over the place'. Really? It's not like humans lost hair by the handful every few minutes. Most barely lost 100 hairs a day, and most of that happened while they slept or showered. Time Lords lost even fewer hairs per day. Then again, to a species that didn't actually _have_ hair, any amount might seem like a lot.

In any case, he fought boredom by working out the odds of escape tomorrow. The number of variables was unending, though, so there was really no way he could accurately calculate such odds. He liked to imagine, though, that they were in his favour.

By the end of their visit at Grandma and Grandpa's, the Doctor could actually hear his stomach gurgling. He'd managed to get by eating very little so far, but his body was beginning to fight back. He knew he couldn't avoid eating for much longer without repercussions. He was just having such a difficult time getting past the non-taste of the food he was being offered. The 'higher calorie' variety he'd been given after the visit to the vet was only higher in calories because it was mostly animal fat. Not something the Doctor generally partook in. He was quickly coming to the conclusion, however, that he may have to actually give in and eat some of the proffered food. Either that, or risk losing his ability to concentrate and use his most valuable asset… his considerable intellect.

After saying their good-byes, the family bundled him into their vehicle and made their way home. It was dark outside and the air was the coolest he'd felt so far on this planet, though it was still at least eight degrees celsius… certainly tolerable. His thoughts drifted to Rose and the skimpy outfit she'd been wearing today. He hoped she wasn't out somewhere tonight. Humans had such rubbish temperature control… she'd probably be quite uncomfortable without something more on than the scant clothing she'd been allowed to wear earlier.

Back in the flat, they'd barely all gotten in the door when Yula had the kids being trundled off to their rooms to get ready for bed. The Doctor followed Sanjay into his room, climbing up on the boy's hard bed and sitting cross-legged. He was hoping the collar could come off, as Lim had promised earlier. "Daddy, can Hue sleep with me tonight?" Sanjay asked as got his jimjams on.

"Oh. Uhhh, I guess so, Sanjay," his father said, distractedly folding the boy's clothes and returning them to his closet.

"YAY!" Sanjay whooped, clapping all his hands. "Hear that Hue? You get to sleep with me tonight!" he said cheerily, looking at the Doctor with twinkling eyes.

With Lim otherwise occupied, the Doctor took the opportunity to gesture a request to Sanjay to have his collar removed.

"Oh yeah," Sanjay replied, remembering his promise to his pet. "Daddy, can we take off Hue's collar tonight too?"

"Aww, Sanjay… not tonight, yeah? Daddy's tired and I just want to go relax. We'll take it off tomorrow, okay?" he said, sighing dramatically.

Sanjay balled his hands into fists and stomped his foot. "Daddy! You SAID! You PROMISED!" he whined loudly. "Pleeeeeeease!"

Lim sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Sanjay… jeez…"

"Pleeeease…" Sanjay said more quietly, bringing both sets of hands up to form little prayer-like poses.

Lim looked down at his son's big, blinking, reptile-y eyes and immediately… gave in.

"YAY!" Sanjay cheered for the second time that night.

Lim sighed. "When you grow up, just don't say I never did anything for you," he grumbled, getting up to retrieve the key for the Doctor's collar.

Spinning to face his pet, he clapped all his hands again. "You get your collar off! FINALLY!" he said dramatically, throwing his arms out in an exasperated gesture.

The Doctor had to agree with the sentiment. He was just as excited as Sanjay was about it.

Lim returned a few moments later with the key and sat on the bed next to the Doctor. Lifting his chin, the Doctor smiled at Lim, trying to communicate his happiness at soon being collar-free.

Despite his fatigue, Lim gave him a begrudging half smile back while running the wand around the circumference of the the collar. The solid material instantly became putty in Lim's hands and he pulled to widen it before tugging it over the Doctor's head.

Unable to resist running his hands over his newly bared neck, the Doctor realized he shouldn't have been surprised when Lim gently shooed his hands away in order to scratch his neck himself. The Doctor sighed inwardly. Obviously this was a 'thing' for Danarians to show their affection to their humans.

Allowing the scratching to continue, the Doctor once again actually found he was kind of enjoying it. The mighty Time Lord enjoying a neck scratch. Why not? Every species needed some positive attention now and then.

Lim, finally tired of scratching his pet, patted him a couple times on the back before standing with the collar and key in hand. "Okay, Sanjay. Did you grind your teeth yet?"

Sanjay looked a bit sheepish, "Not yet," he answered, once again blinking his large eyes at his father.

Sighing again, for what was probably the millionth time that night, Lim shook his head. "Alright… climb in bed. But don't tell your mother," he warned, giving the boy a wink.

Sanjay grinned and tried to wink back, succeeding in blinking both eyes exaggeratedly at his father. Lim chuckled, helping his son climb into his bed. Finally, lying on his side under his covers, Sanjay looked around for the Doctor, finding him still sitting at the end of the bed. "C'mon, Hue… wanna sleep with me?" he asked innocently.

Knowing he mustn't indicate his understanding of Sanjay's request, he looked back at the boy and smiled.

"You have to call him like they showed us in class, buddy, remember?" Lim instructed his son helpfully.

"Oh yeah. Come here, Hue!" Sanjay directed, patting the hard bed beside him.

The Doctor, taking his cue, crawled up the bed to sit where Sanjay had indicated.

"We have the smartest human _ever_, Daddy. I love him," Sanjay said honestly.

The Doctor actually felt his throat tighten a bit, guilt swirling in his gut. Sanjay was a good kid. He hated that the boy might be hurt by his imminent departure, but sadly, there was nothing for it.

"Well, I'm sure he loves you too, bud. Now get some sleep. We have a fun day tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay," the boy said, turning over onto his belly.

"Night-night," Lim said, nuzzling the boys head with his own.

"Night, Daddy," Sanjay said, throwing an arm over the Doctor's lap.

Lim stood and exited the room, flipping the light off as he went. Soft light now streamed in from the hallway and Sanjay huddled under his blanket and closed his eyes. How this little lizard could be comfortable on such a hard surface was beyond him, but to each his own, the Doctor mused.

He was about to whisper to Sanjay when he heard a soft hissing sound escape his mouth. He was already asleep. He must have been completely knackered. A wave of affection rolled over him as he watched the boy's eyes move softly beneath his lids and listened to his breath become more and more even.

Tomorrow. He'd be able to talk to him tomorrow morning. The collar wasn't going to be put back on, as far as he could see, so he could wait. Meanwhile, he allowed himself a few minutes to just enjoy the innocence of this boy in sleep. Still so unsullied by politics and the need for status. This boy just wanted to love and be loved. That's what it was really about when it came right down to it. How many 'owners' were just looking for someone… something to love that would love them back. It was innocent enough in concept, but to try to force another being to love you by making it rely on you for everything it needs… that wasn't love. It was… learned helplessness.

The Doctor shook his head. Things needed to change. And this boy had potential. He could be the catalyst for that change… this very soul lying beside him, or another just like him, could better the lives of thousands and thousands of humans on this planet, not to mention other enslaved species existing here.

With that thought echoing through his mind, the Doctor settled in beside Sanjay, leaning his head on the boy's arm. Maybe just a short kip to revitalize. A wee 'pet' nap.

In moments, the Doctor also drifted off to sleep.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Morning came quickly, with the Doctor waking only a couple of hours before the rest of the family. He must've been more exhausted than he'd realized last night. After carefully disentangling himself from the boy's arms, he spent the time before Sanjay woke wandering around the flat, exploring the kitchen. He'd managed to find some large cracker-like squares that were a good site more edible than the cardboard he'd been served day in and day out since they landed on this planet. He managed to polish off three of them before his stomach began to protest at it's now stretched state. Making sure to tidy his mess before moving on, he'd continued his investigation and found the cupboard housing his 'treats'. He made note of their location for future reference, as the very idea of eating anything else at the moment actually made him feel ill.

At the first stirring of the flat's inhabitants, the Doctor made his way back to Sanjay's room. The boy was just waking as he entered and climbed up on the bed to once again sit beside him.

Sanjay opened his eyes to find the Doctor staring at him. He smiled widely. "Hi, Hue! Is it morning already?"

"Yep," the Doctor said, "time to rise and shine."

"It's so weird to hear you talking," Sanjay said, amazed. "It's like… like when Mika said his first word. He said 'Jay', you know. His first word was 'Jay'. That's me," he confirmed, in case the Doctor hadn't been able to figure that out.

"Of course his first word was 'Jay'. You're his brother, after all," the Doctor affirmed.

"Yeah. I wish I had a _big_ brother sometimes," Sanjay said. "Do you have a big brother?" he asked.

"Nah. Just l'il old me, really. Always wondered what it would've been like, though," he shared. "It would've been interesting to've had a brother or sister. Then again… I never had to fight for toys or anything. Something to be said for that," he added.

"Yeah. I hate it when Mika takes my stuff," Sanjay admitted. "But he's okay. I just wish he'd grow up faster so he could play with me. He's too little still," he added a bit sadly.

The Doctor nodded knowingly. "Listen, Sanjay… I wanted to say thank-you for getting your Dad to take off my collar yesterday. It feels much better with it off," he said, rubbing his neck absently.

"It's okay. I'm glad you don't have to wear it anymore. Hey!" he said, remembering, "we get to go to Stala's today! You liked her human, right? Daisy?" Sanjay said, needing confirmation.

"Yes, I do… very much. She's…" the Doctor paused. How could he explain this to a child? "She's my… mate. Kind of like… my girlfriend, I guess," he added, wanting to make sure Sanjay understood her importance to him.

"You mean, like Mom and Dad?" Sanjay said, surprised.

"Umm, yeah. Kind of," the Doctor confirmed, hoping the boy was getting the idea.

"Wow. I didn't know humans had _girlfriends_," he said, amazed.

The Doctor nodded. "Well, they can. In fact, humans even get married on other planets. Did you know there are other planets that humans live on?" he added, hopefully.

"Really?" the boy said, eyes wide.

"Yep. They live in cities just like yours. They have their own houses and cars and everything," he said informatively.

"Wow. Are all humans as smart as you?" the boy asked innocently.

"Ummm… well…" he really didn't want to start getting into the whole 'Time Lord' explanation, so made his answer as simple as possible. "I'm actually maybe a i_bit_/i smarter than most humans, but generally humans are brilliant. I'm just… even i_more_/i brilliant," the Doctor grinned widely.

"I _told_ Mom and Dad you were smart. And I was right," Sanjay preened.

"Can't argue with you, there," the Doctor confirmed. "So, anyway… we're going to see Ro-, umm, _Daisy_ today… and I was thinking that maybe you might be able to let us outside alone so we can talk," the Doctor broached. Sanjay scrunched his face in thought. "It's just that… well, I've missed her a lot, you see, and I need to tell her some private stuff," the Doctor elaborated.

Sanjay continued to look concerned. "I don't know…" he said, "Mom and Dad won't like that. You ran away that time, remember? They think you'll run away again. I know you won't though, right?" he asked, assured in the Doctor's answer.

Guilt once again weaved through the Doctor's belly. He didn't want to lie to this boy. He deserved better. But would he be able to talk him into letting him out if he told him the truth? Looking into the little lizards trusting eyes, he knew he couldn't lie to him.

"Sanjay… I have to tell you something. Remember how I told you that humans lived on other planets?" Sanjay nodded. "Well, Daisy and I… we weren't born on Danaris. Daisy was born on a planet called 'Earth', and I was born on a planet called 'Gallifrey'. We… we were travelling in our… spaceship… and stopped to visit your planet, but we were caught by people who work at the shelter. We don't belong here. Our families… our Moms and Dads and our friends aren't here. We miss them."

The Doctor watched Sanjay's face. The little boy seemed to be considering his statement.

Finally, after some thought, the boy formed a reply, "But… we're your family too. Maybe we can ask your Mommy and Daddy to come visit?" the boy said, practically.

The Doctor sighed. This wasn't going to be easy. "Well, that's sort of hard. They don't have a ship like we do, so they wouldn't be able to come here. And that's only part of the problem. It's like…" the Doctor thought of how to word the essential idea he needed Sanjay to learn. "It's like if your teacher at school told you you couldn't see your Mom and Dad anymore. That would make you sad, right?"

Sanjay's brow furrowed. He nodded.

"But you love your teacher, don't you? How come you wouldn't want to stay at school with her forever?" the Doctor asked.

Sanjay seemed concerned over this idea. "I like Ms. Yindo, but I'd miss my Mommy and Daddy too much," he supplied.

"Right. Well… I care for you, Sanjay. A lot. Just like you care for Ms. Yindo. But I miss my family and so does Ro-, I mean, Daisy." While he didn't want to lie to Sanjay, the reference to family was the closest he could think of that the boy would understand. And since his own family was gone, he'd actually begun to think of his friends and Rose's family as his own. Though he'd never admit that to Jackie.

"Oh," Sanjay replied, still looking concerned. "Well… you can't go today… cause you have to finish school. Mommy says that we all have... sponsibilities. And… I'd miss you. So… maybe after school is over, okay?" he said, looking at the Doctor hopefully.

Understanding what a difficult concept this was for Sanjay, he let it go… for now. He just hoped Rose was making more headway with her lizard child than he was.


	12. Disappointed

There have been lots of questions and worries about Rex from readers! This chapter starts to uncover his role in this story a bit more. Thanks to all for your reviews and faves! I'm SO grateful for it all. Enjoy!

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**CHAPTER 12 - Heeled: Disappointed**

After he and Sanjay had their little heart to hearts, the Doctor padded around the flat, keeping himself busy until it was time to leave to go to the Dartmouth's place. Knowing he didn't have to wait long to see Rose again had kept him awake all night. Not that he really needed sleep, but it helped pass the time.

It was nearing noon when the family received a call on their equivalent of a speakerphone from the Dartmouths. It seems Stala was ill and throwing up, so it was probably best if they postponed their visit until next weekend. And, oh...one of their pets had broken its leg and was in a cast, so it was probably for the best anyway. They needed to keep a close eye on it.

Lim had hung up just as the Doctor sprinted around the corner on hearing the end of the conversation. One of their pets was hurt?! Gods… which one? His imagination ran wild. It was probably Rose. She was so jeopardy friendly, after all. He pictured her in a cast, probably stuck lying in a kennel, left on her own to 'heal'. Rassilon… what if they hadn't set it correctly? And how had it happened in the first place? Images of Stala's brother yanking roughly on Rose's leash, pulling her so she falls heavily at an awkward angle filled the Doctor's mind. Rex would've seen it happen and would've stepped in swiftly to comfort her… his abs all rippley and his eyes all dewy. Stupid ape.

"Well, damn… I was actually looking forward to going over there today," Lim said to the room. Finally noticing the Doctor standing beside him looking up into his eyes, he said, "Sorry, buddy. No trip to today, it looks like," he said before leaving the room.

The Doctor felt ill. Rose. He needed to know if it was her who had been hurt. And if it was…was she alright? But how was he going to find out? It's not like he could just call her cell and ask. Or could he? Obviously he couldn't call her cell, but he _could_ call her family. Gods. How was _that_ going to work? He'd have to wait until he was alone and then somehow find their connection number and call them. Yeah. And _that_ was going to easy. Not.

Realizing he'd be much quicker if he asked for some assistance, he trotted off to find Sanjay. He found the boy in his room playing with his toys.

"Hi, Sanjay," he said, smiling.

"Hi, Hue! Look!" he said, making one of his reptilian action figures crash into a tower he'd built out of other toys.

"Wow," the Doctor said, nodding appreciatively. "Um, did you hear the news?"

Sanjay looked up at him. "What news?" he asked.

"Stala is sick. We aren't going to their house today," the Doctor said, making a point to look especially saddened by this fact.

"Awwwwww! But I wanted to go! Awww," he said, mirroring the Doctor's expression.

"Yeah," the Doctor confirmed. "But I'm even more sad, because one of their pets broke a leg… and I don't know if it was Daisy or not. I'm very worried," he said, honestly.

Sanjay worriedly rubbed the back of his neck. The Doctor stopped and watched, recognizing that the gesture looked rather familiar. That's when he realized that he'd been rubbing his own neck in worry. A smile threatened to creep onto his face on viewing the greatest compliment happening right in front of him.

"I'm worried too," Sanjay concurred, "but what can we do?"

"Well… I was thinking… maybe you could call them and find out if it was Daisy that was hurt. You could find out how Stala is at the same time… see if she's feeling better?" the Doctor said, hopefully. "I would ring them, but your Dad would think I'm barmy. What do you think? Could you call them?"

"I've never phoned anyone before," Sanjay shared, looked worried. "I don't know what to do."

"Well, you'd have to tell your Mom that you want to ring Stala, and she can help you," the Doctor suggested.

"Ohhhh! Good idea, Hue!" he said enthusiastically.

"I thought so," the Doctor grinned widely. Then, taking Sanjay's hand, he said, "Allons-y!"

"Is that a human word?" Sanjay asked.

"It's a Doctor word, buddy!" he said. "A special 'Hue' word that means… 'Let's DO DIS!'" Oooo. Not saying _that_ again, he cringed.

Sanjay, however, grinned at his 'crazy words' and happily took his hand to go find his mother.

They found her with a cup of jupa in the great room. "Mommy… can I ring Stala? I want to see if she's okay."

Looking up from her book, Yula looked surprised. "You want to speakerphone? What made you think of that?" Yula asked.

Looking down at his pet, who merely stared back at him, he looked back at his mother. "I'm just worried about her."

"Oh… Sanjay… that's so _nice_. Sure… you can ring her. Come on," she said, putting her jupa down as she stood.

His mother led the way to the kitchen where the speakerphone sat on the counter. Sanjay looked triumphantly at the Doctor who gave him a 'thumbs up' in response. Sanjay gave him one back, but managed instead to hold up three of his eight fingers. Close enough. Pressing buttons on the keypad, Yula gestured for Sanjay to pull up his stool to stand on at the counter. Following her lead, Sanjay dragged it over and stepped up.

"Hello?" a female voice answered as the speakerphone was picked up.

"Hi, Henny? It's Yula."

"Oh, Hi! Hey - I'm so sorry about today. Stala was sick all night and I wouldn't want you guys to catch anything," she said honestly.

"Oh… no problem, really. We'll just have to get together another time. Maybe next weekend?"

"That sounds perfect! Hey - maybe you can come over on Guruday for the Celebration of the New Sun. You all could stay until to watch the sky lights. You can see them really well from our yard. What do you say?" Henny suggested.

"Well, that sounds lovely," Yula answered. "Listen Henny, Sanjay actually wanted to speak with Stala… he was worried about her," Yula said, winking at her son.

The boy tried to reciprocate, but managed once again to squeeze and open both eyes instead. A smile quirked the corner of the Doctor's lips, despite the serious nature of the phone call.

"Oh… isn't that sweet. Well, sure. Let me get her," Henny replied.

A few moments later, the young lizard's voice floated through the speaker. "Hello?"

Yula gestured for Sanjay to answer. The boy leaned in close to the speakerphone and yelled, "HI STALA!"

"You don't have to shout, Sanjay," his mother cringed. "Just talk normally," she advised.

"Oh," he responded, chastened. "Umm, Hi, Stala."

"Hi, Sanjay," his friend replied.

"Are you okay? Did you throw up?" Sanjay asked seriously.

"Yeah," she answered, equally as seriously. "I throwed up all over my bed. Mommy had to wash my blanket in the middle of the night. It was gross," she shared.

"Yuck," Sanjay replied, and then added after a moment, "I hope you feel better," realizing this was the correct sentiment to express at such a time. Unsure what else to say, he looked down at his pet. The Doctor smiled with raised, expectant eyebrows, desperately hoping the boy didn't need a more overt reminder of what else needed to be discussed with his friend.

Luckily, it seemed his eyebrows were enough of a reminder, as Sanjay said quickly, "Oh yeah… did Daisy get hurt?" Proud he remembered to ask, he smiled down at the Doctor.

"Yeah. She broked her leg. It was all Diro's fault," she added, anxious to share the reason for her pet's troubles. "He took her for a walk without asking and he says she falled in a hole. I don't believe him though, cause Rex got hurt too. Why would they both fall in the same hole? Humans aren't that dumb," she said authoritatively. "And Diro was mad at me cause I told him Daisy was cuter than Rex. It's true, though," she shared.

The Doctor's anxiety level rose by three hundred percent. What had really happened to her? A broken limb was bad enough if she'd merely fallen by accident, but it sounded like the Danarian boy might have done something to hurt her on purpose.

"What happened to Rex?" Sanjay asked.

"He got a black eye. He looks kinda cute with it. But I feel bad, cause he looks sad," she lamented.

Whatever happened, the Doctor doubted it was truly an accident. He needed to see her.

"Is Daisy gonna be okay?" Sanjay asked, looking down at the Doctor again, obviously hoping he'd asked the right thing. The Doctor gave an almost imperceptible nod, hoping Yula hadn't noticed.

"Yeah. The vet put her leg back in the right way again and she has a cast now. He said she can't walk for a whole week. Poor Daisy. She says it hurts," Stala said matter of factly.

The Doctor hissed in a breath. Gods. If she admitted to this little lizard that it hurt, chances are it was probably significantly painful.

"She says she misses Hue, too," Stala added.

This time the Doctor sucked air, but not for the same reason. She missed him. Gods he missed her, too. She was hurt and he felt completely useless. He might as well be a universe away right now, for all the good he was to her. He just hoped she knew that he'd give a regeneration to be with her right now.

"Okay, Sanjay," Yula said, shaking her head at the children's fanciful conversation, "probably time to say good-bye. Tell her you'll see her at school tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay, Mommy," he answered before directing his next sentence at the speakerphone, "I have to go. See you at school."

"Okay, bye," Stala replied before disconnecting the call.

Sanjay climbed off the stool and looked sadly down at his pet. "She said Daisy got hurt. She's not allowed to walk for a week," he informed the Doctor as if he hadn't heard the conversation as well. Then, turning to his mother, he said, "Does that mean that Stala won't come to pet class next week?" he asked, concerned.

"Probably not, buddy. But you never know. She might come with their other human, maybe?" she said, trying to sound hopeful after seeing Sanjay's disappointment.

"I hope so. She's my best friend and Hue and Daisy are best friends too," he said, matter of factly.

Yula smiled down at her son and patted his head as she walked past toward the great room, "You sound pretty sure of that, Sanjay," she said as she picked up her cup of jupa again.

"They ARE best friends, Mommy. Hue told me so," he said, brows furrowed at being challenged about such an important fact.

The Doctor, however, had come up behind the boy and gently tugged on the boy's shirt in an effort to quietly warn him to stop talking.

Looking down at his pet, he suddenly recalled his promise and looked contrite. "I mean… Hue was so happy to play with her at school," he said, trying to cover his mistake.

Yula looked confused for a moment, then visibly shook it off. Thank Rassilon adults didn't take most of what their kids said seriously, the Doctor sighed inwardly.

But then again… maybe it was time to consider communicating directly with them? Time was of the essence, after all. Once again, a niggling feeling warned him that it was a bad idea. He was winning over Sanjay and it sounded like Rose was doing the same with her young lizard. If they jumped the gun and started showing their true potential to the adult Danarians… who's to say what the immediate consequences would be? On one hand, he might actually talk sense into one or both of his 'owners', who might then allow him freedom. On the other hand, they might just completely lose it and put the collar back on forever. Even worse… he might be seen as an interesting oddity and be put on display somewhere for the rest of his lives. No. He needed to get away from these Danarians and back to his ship...back in a place of power... before he could make any real changes for the humans on this planet. He needed to show the Danarians what kind of potential their 'pets' had before the common folk would even entertain the idea that humans could be seen as sentient beings that deserved equality. He was halfway there with Sanjay. The boy would help him. He felt pretty confident he would be able to talk Sanjay into helping him before the ten weeks of classes were over. Now he just had to be patient. But GODS this was hard. Patience was a virtue he'd not been blessed with in this body and sitting… waiting… was so against everything he was about.

But wait he would. No matter how ridiculously painful it was knowing his Rose needed him _right now_.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The next week went by ridiculously slowly and the Doctor was sure a few times that he was going to go completely barmy having to live through each and every moment in such a linear fashion. One quick pop in the TARDIS and he could've skipped this entire week, he knew. But there was nothing for it. He was stuck on the slow path and it was rubbish. And the idea that Rose was in pain for each and every one of those rubbish moments was enough to send him over the edge. How did all these other species _live_ like this?

Sanjay and Lim had both spent the week going to and from school and work respectively. Yula, it appeared, worked part-time from home on some sort of… creative design company while Mika napped during the day. He, himself, had tried to keep himself occupied by dragging books into his kennel and reading them when no one was looking. If Yula happened to walk by, he'd flip the page to some picture or other he'd dog-eared for that very purpose. On the one occasion she actually looked in and caught him gazing at a picture, she merely shook her head and smiled at the apparent 'cuteness' of her pet.

Finally, one day from seeing Rose, his 'Joyful Humans' training day came round once again and they were on their way to the lesson. She wouldn't be there, he knew, but he was hoping at least Rex would be present. He had some questions for him and hoped they'd get a chance to talk at some point. Hopefully the young man wouldn't still have his silence inducing collar on.

Rolling up to the sandy training field, the Doctor and 'his family' clambered out of the jeep in time to catch Rose's family doing the same. The older boy who had apparently been present when Rose was injured exited their vehicle with Rex securely leashed and heavily collared. The Doctor sighed. Figured.

On catching the Doctor's eye, the young man's gaze fell away guiltily. Damn it. He knew what had happened. What _really_ happened to Rose. How was he going to find out with the man collared like he was?

Both families exchanged pleasantries and made their way to the field. The Doctor made a point of sidling up beside Rex as they trailed behind their owners. Really taking in the man's appearance, he noted the fading greenish-brown bruise surrounding his left eye. The sight of the healing injury steeled his resolve, reminding him once again of the importance of freedom. "I know you can't talk, so nod or shake your head to answer me, alright?" the Doctor instructed.

The young man nodded, looking a bit startled to hear the Doctor speaking to him… perhaps he'd not noticed he wasn't collared as well.

"Is Ro… Daisy alright?"

Rex nodded. The Doctor sighed in relief. Not willing to waste time beating around the bush, he started right in, "You were there when it happened… did the boy hurt her?"

Rex threw a reticent look at his owner and looked back at the Doctor, his eyes betraying anger he wasn't able to voice. He nodded.

The Doctor's blood began heating as he considered his next question. "Does he… has he hurt her before?" he said, keeping his voice as level as he could manage.

Rex's eyes darkened and his jaw tensed. He nodded once again.

The Doctor felt himself crack somewhere inside. She was being hurt… on purpose. This boy was harming his precious girl. Aiming to reign in his growing fury at the young Danarian and his own helplessness, the Doctor whispered tensely, "Listen to me, Rex… I need… I need you to keep her safe." His jaw set, realizing he was pleading, he added, "Please."

Rex looked at him squarely, his own anger simmering darkly in his eyes. He nodded curtly, seemingly _daring_ the Doctor to suggest that he wouldn't try.

Realizing that more didn't need to be said, the Doctor nodded back, acknowledging Rex's determination and found himself thankful for the young man. If he couldn't be there with Rose, at least she had _someone_ looking out for her. Even if he _was_ a bit pretty.

The families soon separated and the lesson began. The session focused on reviewing the command taught last day and introduced teaching your human to 'heel'. The lesson was tedious and long, but at least involved more 'gummy lizards', which the Doctor couldn't find fault with. Once again, his owners were struck by his incredible intelligence and marvelled over how fortunate they were to have adopted him.

More than a few times during the hour long debasement he considered just taking off to make a dash for freedom. There were a few times he could've already run, with the leash having been dropped in order for the Doctor to perform one trick or other. But even if he made it to the TARDIS unhindered, which wasn't likely, he had no idea where Rose was yet. And if he was caught again before he made it to the TARDIS, he might end up at the shelter again, adopted by who knows who. No… sadly, he needed to keep pressing on with his plan as it was. It was bloody difficult to keep focused on said plan, however, knowing Rose was somewhere out there in pain and at risk. Knowing that she was at least being somewhat protected by Rex helped ease his mind a tiny bit, but not enough.

Finally the class ended with the families sharing plans for their get together tomorrow as they walked back to their respective vehicles.

As he was ushered into the jeep, he once again caught Rex's eye. The young man stared back at him, his eyes dark and serious. He was going to protect Rose. That was the message… loud and clear. The Doctor nodded at him, grateful, though not just a bit suspicious as to the ferocity of the young man's protectiveness. It hit him then, that it was very possible that Rex's drive to look out for Rose was nestled in more than good ol' human kindness.

A haze a green filtered the Doctor's vision for a moment before he willed it to clear. He had no business being jealous right now. His business, if he had any, was to wait out tonight so he could be by Rose's side once again tomorrow. And as hard as that was going to be, he was going to have to do it.


	13. Reunited

Thanks again to my incredibly brilliant readers for commenting and faving! Thanks for all your support :)

Now. On with the story. Finally the Doctor gets to spend some time with Rose. What are the chances it goes smoothly?

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**CHAPTER 13 - Heeled: Reunited**

For the Doctor, the hours between training school and his visit with Rose came and went with no reprieve from his dark thoughts other than a half hour passed watching Mika sleep. It helped take his mind off of the desperately _long_ time it was taking for the sun to rise. The Doctor had otherwise spent the wee hours of the night pacing the flat, going over every detail of the sickening phone call and his interaction with Rex. He played over all the possibilities of what might have happened, once again too numerable to even truly consider. That didn't stop his tortured mind from trying.

Seconds and minutes ticked tediously by until finally… _finally_ it was time to leave. Once again bathed, the Doctor was saddened by the denial of a t-shirt or trousers for this visit. After being dried, he looked around Yula in vain for a sign of his new-ish clothing, but alas, none appeared. Fantastic. He was going to be paraded around nearly naked, once again. The fact that Rose would see him in his near naked state saddened him...at least in these circumstances. The last thing he wanted was for her to see him with even less dignity than she already had at Joyful Humans. But there he was, being led by a leash clad only in his pants. Again.

They drove in the jeep with Sanjay chirping away about seeing Stala and hoping she would be allowed to play the latest Intu media game he was bringing to her house. Mika had said his first three word phrase this morning, leaving his mother beaming and chatting up front with Lim about where he could possibly have heard such a combination… it was such an unusual thing to say. The Doctor didn't think 'Free the Humans' was all that unusual, but then, he'd been the one who may have casually said it to Mika, four or… five hundred and seven times last night while he was sleeping just to help pass the time.

The Doctor grinned. Small pleasures.

Pulling up to the home… another above ground affair… the Doctor jumped up, climbing over Sanjay to get out first. Seeing their pet pulling on his leash to encourage Sanjay to hurry, Yula chuckled as she rounded the vehicle. "He's a bit excited to be here, isn't he?" she laughed. "Lim, look," she said, directing her husband's attention to their human.

"He's excited to see Daisy," Sanjay said, explaining the obvious to his oblivious parents.

"What?" Lim asked.

"He misses Daisy. I _told_ you he liked her," the boy spelled out.

Yula looked at Lim who smiled down patiently at his son. "Sanjay, he doesn't even know where we are yet," he grinned, patting the boy on the head before leading the way to the door of the home.

"Does too," Sanjay replied insistently, "He remembered from last week." Lim merely nodded and continued walking. Turning then to the Doctor, Sanjay said quietly, "You were right. They don't believe me." Pouting, he crossed two of his arms while continuing to hold onto the leash with one other. His fourth hand was lightly scratching absently on the Doctor's back… a feeling the Doctor had to admit, wasn't unappreciated, and was actually helping to calm his nerves a bit as they waited for someone to let them in.

Eventually the heavy wooden door creaked open. Henny greeted them with all armed hugs and a pat to the Doctor's head as they entered the foyer. Gard quickly joined the group and offered greetings as well, inviting the family further into their home. The place was massive but cluttered with knick knacks in every corner. It seemed someone was a collector of sorts. Photos of reptiles in adorned frames graced every table, surrounded by various ornaments and collectibles. The Doctor could've sworn he actually saw a particle degrometer on the mantelpiece… he actually could use one of those.

His attention was torn from the object in question upon hearing Rose's voice coming from somewhere down the hall. She was being fairly quiet, he knew, but having the superior senses he did he was able to hear her when the others could not. Quickly ascertaining the direction of her voice, the Doctor looked up at Sanjay entreatingly and pointed down the hall in her direction. The boy looked where he pointed, but obviously saw nothing. The Doctor tugged on his leash and pointed once again, feeling a bit frantic to lay eyes on Rose. He needed to see for himself that she was okay.

Sanjay, finally getting the idea that his pet wanted to be free to roam around, looked up at his father. "Daddy. Daddy. Daaaaaady," Sanjay said pulling on his father's trousers until the large lizard acknowledged him, "Can I let Hue off his leash? He wants to see Daisy," the boy said, matter of factly.

Lim, having been interrupted from a conversation with Gard by his son's insistent tugs, nodded absently before turning to take up where he'd left off. Sanjay smiled and bent down, unhooking the leash from his pet's fabric collar. The Doctor smiled gratefully and whispered a 'thanks' to the boy before quickly moving down the hall. As he made his way past the bathroom, Stala skipped by him in a blur of purple and pink, nearly knocking him over as she barrelled past, obviously excited to see Sanjay again. He knew how she felt. The idea that in moments he'd see Rose again made him feel like skipping as well. Finally coming to a door decorated with crafts of various kinds, probably Stala's, he pushed it open.

And his hearts clenched. "Rose," he whispered.

Sitting on top of the girl's bed, her hair adorned with bows and ribbons of various colours and still wearing her pink frilly shirt, was Rose. Her leg was propped up on a pillow and she looked distinctly uncomfortable, but her slightly pained expression turned to one of pure joy on seeing him. He'd give all of his lives to ensure he'd never have to stop seeing that look on her angelic face.

"Doctor!" she said, her voice betraying her relief and excitement at seeing him again.

Wasting no time, the Doctor flew across the room and up onto the bed to pull her into his arms. She held him tightly, obviously desperate to feel him… to reassure herself that he was really there. He knew that, because he felt the same. Letting her go right now would be an abomination. So he revelled in the warmth of her, breathing her in as he clutched her tightly against him.

"Doctor… I missed you!" Rose said, finally pulling back a bit to look at him.

"Rose… what happened? Are you alright?" he asked, briefly looking down to her leg before searching her face for answers.

"I'm okay, Doctor, really. It hurts a bit, but they've got me on these painkillers, which… I have to say… are _brilliant_," she said, tucking her tongue in her teeth. "Oh! They took off your collar," she grinned a bit drunkenly.

The Doctor studied her face more closely. Her eyes were a bit unfocused, but she actually looked a bit more rested than she had last time he'd seen her. A brown coloured cast, crayoned with crude drawings of lizard people, humans and rainbows, adorned the bottom half of her leg from her knee to around the bottom of her foot.

"Rose… I have to know… did that boy hurt you? The Danarian?" he asked solemnly.

Rose dropped her gaze down to her leg before answering. "He… Diro… had Rex and me… No. Rex and _I_... outside after he had a fight with Stala" she corrected herself. "Their parents weren't home… they'd gone out to an appointent...appointment, or something…" she said, shaking her head in confusion, her eyebrows furrowed as she looked down at the blanket beneath her for a moment. "I like this colour," she smiled dazedly, fingering the vibrant pink scratchy fabric covering the bed.

Gods… how much painkiller did they _give_ her? "Rose…" he said, gently trying to redirect her back to the conversation, "what happened next? Diro and Stala had a fight, and…"

Rose lifted her gaze back to the Doctor's and continued as if she hadn't stopped mid-sentence in the first place, "and he was just _soooo_ angry..." she swallowed, remembering, "I think he just lashed out and… he kicked me. I don't think he meant to hurt me so badly, but I hit a tone…I mean, _stone_... fence and, well…" she gestured to her leg.

The Doctor's face must've betrayed his rage, as Rose quickly said, "I think he felt badly. I honesy… _-ly_... don't think he meant to hurt me that much… you know… that badly. I'm not saying he's an angel or anything, I jus' ak'shly kind of feel sorry for him a bit. I think he's just really a sad kid under all that...sadness. I mean… anger," she said, reflecting, her eyes unfocused.

Gods… even drugged to the teeth this woman was incredible. Here she was, laid up by the thoughtless and even vindictive actions of a massive reptilian alien, and she felt sorry for it. His eyes prickled with tears for a moment as he considered her. His brilliant, compassionate girl. Well… she could find it in her heart to forgive this boy, but he'd be damned if he was going to stand by and ever let it happen again.

"I'm more worried about Rex," Rose continued. "Diro takes his frustrations out on him… hitting him, kicking him…even punched him in the eye the other day. I worry about him," she frowned. "He's basically a good bloke, you know? He was adopted a couple a weeks afore me," she said, slurring her words slightly. "I think he knew Diro was going to be trouble, 'cause he's been _veeery_ protective of me ever since I came to the house." The Doctor tensed. Yes… I'm sure Mr. Abs was very _protective_. Rose lowered her voice then and leaned in conspiratorially, "He kind of fancies me…" she stopped, obviously noticing the Doctor's dark expression, then added quickly, "but I've set him straight," Rose said, reassuring him, patting his arm. "It's prob-ly good he's here, ak-shly, 'cause he's been a good alley...ally... in the house what with Diro's temper an' all. He's just doesn' want me to get hurt. And ever since _this_ happened," she gestured to her leg, "he won't leave my side. I think that makes Diro even more cranky, though, 'cause Rex likes me more than him," Rose ran a hand over her face sloppily. "I'm jus' worried that one of these days Diro's gonna go too far and Rex is gunna end up in the hopsi...hosip… at the vet."

The Doctor nodded, trying to think past his instinctive dislike of the man that had been clouding his thinking, so he could really process what she'd said. It seems Rex was also being mistreated… an idea the Doctor admitted he'd entertained but not really paid attention to. He was so focused on Rose that he'd failed to really acknowledge that Rex was likely as much as victim of the boy's abuse as she was. He'd obviously been doing his best merely to survive in this house, and on top of that, he'd been trying to shelter Rose from the boy's anger as well. He hadn't missed Rose's comment about the young man's interest in her, however... or the fact that she thought he was 'good bloke'.

"They want us to fuck, you know," Rose sighed, one eye looking directly at the Doctor and the other cast a bit in her drugged haze.

The Doctor nearly choked on his own tongue on hearing the pronouncement. "What?!" he squawked.

"It's okay, Doctor. We didn't. I wouldn't. Not with _him_," she emphasized.

"Ummm, Rose… do you mean they want you to... mate with Rex?" the Doctor said as calmly as possible, anger beginning to bubble inside him.

She nodded. "But I didn't. He's toooo…" she said, trailing off.

Despite knowing he should really _really_ let the thought die, he found he was unable to hold himself back, "Too what, Rose?" he asked tentatively.

"Tooo...not you," she said, leaning her head heavily into his bare chest.

The Doctor's hearts flipped. Not _you_? As in… _him_? Words… lots of them… tried to escape his lips, but he couldn't form them into anything meaningful. He realized he probably looked a bit like a fish out of water with his mouth opening and closing seemingly randomly, but he couldn't help it.

"So I told him to sod off," Rose finished, her voice muffled in his chest. Then, taking a deep breath, she said, "I like your skin." She was actually _smelling_ him. Looking down at his golden haired, pink bowed, girl, he shuddered as she brought her hand up and ran it up his thigh. Swallowing hard, he tried to convince himself that he should put a bit of distance between them. For her own good and for… well, for her own good. But then she did something that sent a shock of lust straight down his front and into his groin. She stuck out her adorable tongue between her teeth and grinned up at him before sticking it out and licking him from his navel up to the hairs on his chest. A _completely_ un-Time Lordly like sound escaped him… somewhere between and shriek and a whoop… as he jumped back, his eyes wide as saucers. For her part, Rose merely grinned like a Chesire cat and proceeded to lay her head in his lap. His barely clothed lap.

"Rose… I… Gods… are you, are you alright? Not that I mind… if you're not, that is. Because if this is you being 'not alright', then… well, I'm alright with it. Not that I _want_ you to be not alright, of course, but I'm just saying… if you're okay being, uh, 'not alright' with me…then…" he swallowed, "but we should probably not, you know… be _too_ not alright, right now. I mean, you're not really _yourself_ right now, after all, yeah?" he said, his gob finally trailing off as his initial panic ebbed.

Rose didn't answer. Looking down, he moved her hair aside so he could see her face. "Rose?" he said softly. But she was asleep. Sound asleep. Oh, this girl was going to be the death of him. But then, he already knew that she was going to break his hearts one day. Maybe it would be better if he didn't live long enough to see that day anyhow, he mused.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

It wasn't long before the Danarians found them. Rose was sleeping soundly in the Doctor's lap as he played absently with her hair, twirling the golden strands and raking his fingers through her tresses. As much as he had wanted to be able to talk to her, she clearly needed rest and he wasn't about to disturb her.

The Danarians, however, had no such qualms, and upon finding them alone, Henny quickly scooped Rose up and out of the Doctor's arms. He was about to protest when Yula picked him up as well, carrying him on her hip as she would a child. At least it looked like he was going wherever Rose was, so he didn't put up a fight… yet. Stala and Sanjay, who had shown their parents where their pets had gotten to, followed them out of the room and down the hall to the living room where Lim and Gard sat chatting. In one of the corners was a 'pet bed' of sorts, which looked like a 20th or 21st century dog bed from earth. Rose was placed carefully in the middle of it and the Doctor was plopped beside it.

Rose must've been really out of it, as even through the movement and jostling she didn't wake. Quickly moving to her side, the Doctor was thankful that at least the pet bed was softer than the hard floor of his kennel. His poor girl was exhausted and drugged and in pain… at least she had somewhere decent to sleep.

Seeing the Doctor sit himself gingerly beside Rose on her bed, gently stroking her shoulder, Henny comment to Yula, "You know… you could be right, Yula. I wonder if he is actually the one she was found with? They really do look like they're mated, don't they? He hasn't left her side since you got here," she confirmed with her friend, looking back at their pets on the bed.

"Well, Sanjay seems convinced, anyway," Yula said.

"They ARE," Sanjay said assuredly, piping up from beside his mother.

Stala nodded her agreement emphatically before adding, "Daisy told me she LOOOOOVES him!" Stala said, bringing all of her hands together in a posture of prayer as she flung her head back dramatically. "I think she even nuzzles him on the head!" Stala squealed, running up to Sanjay and giving him a hard hug.

"Yuck," Sanjay said, his face contorted in disgust as he pushed his friend away.

Throughout this interaction, the Doctor was listening with rapt attention, up until Stala said the 'L' word. That's when he was sure one of his hearts stopped beating. Then he immediately chastised himself. Who knows if Rose had actually s_aid_ those words. That she lo… well, that she felt that way about him. Or she may have done what he had with Sanjay… elaborated a bit fancifully in order to make a point. That was probably it. Then again, Rose _had_ mentioned something about Rex not being, well, _him_... in the context of her being interested in, um… being close.

"Stala!" Henny admonished. "I'm sorry… she's been watching all kinds of fairy tale media lately… it's gone to her head," her mother apologized to Yula. "Honestly… it's all she plays anymore - princesses and beasts!"

"Oh, gosh… that's better than the laser disruptors Sanjay seems to make out of anything he can find around the house. I've given up trying to tell him he can't play Danarians and Golems anymore," Yula chuckled.

"I don't know why we get all worked up over that anyway," Lim said, adding his two cents. "You should've seen what we played when we were kids! We actually had working microlaser disruptors! Nearly took my brother's eye out with it once!" he laughed.

Gard snorted appreciatively. "I had the Hunter 5000 miniseries 4, myself. Could shoot the wings off a jukit beetle from twelve feet away," he reminisced.

"In ANY case," Henny said in an exaggerated effort to pull the conversation back to the original topic, "I hope the kids are right about Daisy and Hue. We tried mating Daisy and Rex, but she would have none of it… not that Rex didn't _try_," Henny chuckled, rolling her eyes.

The Doctor immediately saw red. So Rippley McRippleson had _tried_ with his Rose. And how hard did he _try_, exactly?

"Ow," a small voice drifted up from his lap. In his dark musings he'd gripped Rose's shoulder a bit harder than he'd been aware.

"Oh, sorry," he apologized, his attention immediately brought back to the present, as he rubbed Rose's probably bruised shoulder. He looked up to check if the Danarians had noticed Rose waking. If they did, it hadn't stopped their conversation.

"Did I miss anything?" Rose said quietly, smacking her lips, trying to rouse herself further from her sleepy state.

"Well… let's see," the Doctor said, narrowing his eyes in thought, "Oh yes! You licked me," he replied leaning in so only she would hear. "But other than that, no… nothing, really," he said, smiling down at her.

"I… what?" she said, obviously thinking she couldn't have heard him correctly.

"You licked me. But I can't say it was a terrible experience," he admitted. "In fact, under other circumstances I maybe wouldn't mind you doing it again sometime," he grinned.

Rose's cheeks flamed red as she propped herself up on her elbows. "Oh, God. It's the painkillers, isn't it? What else did I do? Did I say anything… embarrassing?" she asked, cringing.

"Ohhhh, nothing _too_ embarrassing. Something about you telling Rex to sod off." Then he added, "And you may have mentioned something about procreating, but definitely not in so many words," he said, letting her imagine what the rest of the conversation entailed.

"Oh, God. Ohgodohgodohgod…" she said, sitting up and plastering her hand to her forehead.

The Doctor allowed himself a chuckle at his girl's expense. "No… you were really the model of decorum, Rose. The Queen would be proud to have you represent her on this planet," he smiled.

"Yeah, right," she said dubiously, allowing the Doctor to help her into a comfortable sitting position. "What… what's going on in here? She asked, realizing they were surrounded by a group of chatting Danarians.

"Well… so far, they've decided that we are, indeed, um… a mated pair. Mostly because I've not left your side since I got here, I think. That, and they seem to be starting to believe their offspring, who are very much advocating on our part," he said quietly, filling her in… very much _not_ mentioning Stala's comment about Rose's supposed level of affection for him. A flutter of joy actually bubbled in his belly at the thought. Rassilon… she probably hadn't even actually _said_ that, he chastised himself. He couldn't help be a bit surprised at his reaction to the idea, though. Whether he wanted to really acknowledge the depth of his true feelings for her or not, it appeared his body was working independently of his rational mind.

"..._and_?" Rose prodded when he apparently actually stopped talking.

"Oh! And, um… let's see. I think that's about it," he finished, grinning.

"You're a loon," she smiled. The Doctor merely smiled brightly back. It's not like he had an argument for such a statement at the moment. The world became silent as he stared at Rose… as it always seemed to. She was one of the very few in the Universe who could help him shut out all of the negative, horrid parts of existence… all so he could simply focus on her. Her smile, her eyes… her goodness. He _was_ a loon. A complete and utter loon from loonithia...for letting this human penetrate his previously impervious emotional armour. Because compared to all else in existence, she shone brightest in his eyes. This one little human, who saw goodness in him when he could not, was worth everything to him.

Rose was looking back up at him, her gaze intense as her hazel orbs seemingly stared into his soul. His soul that was far too dark for her to be immersed in, he knew. Closing his eyes, he leaned into her and rested his forehead against hers. He allowed himself a shuddered breath. "I was so worried about you," he shared, feeling more vulnerable than he had in a long time.

"And I missed you, Doctor. So much," she said, bringing her hand up to the nape of his neck to run her fingers through the hair there. They sat in silence for a minute or two, just… breathing together. Then he realized… the silence wasn't merely in his mind. The entire room had fallen silent.

Broken from his spell, he looked around. The Danarians were all looking at him and Rose expectantly. The adults' expressions ranged from surprised to fascinated. The kids… well, they both looked rather smug, actually.

"Told you," Stala sang. "She DOES nuzzle him on the head!" she grinned before literally singing, "_Hue and Daisy, cute as can be, nuzzling, wuzzling in a tree!"_

"Stala… keep it down," her mother urged, wincing at the volume of her daughter's tune.

The Doctor, realizing they'd been doing the equivalent of Danarian kissing, reluctantly pulled back and grinned at Rose.

"Looks like we've been caught forehead snogging," Rose grinned back, blushing a bit.

"I much prefer the human version," the Doctor said without thinking, looking down at her lips. The pink in Rose's cheeks brightened a bit further at the clear implication of his statement. Quickly realizing he'd used his 'outside voice' he added, "... that is, if you're going to be snogging… might as well, do it the fun way, yeah? Not that we were. Snogging. Weeeellll… just now, anyway. Cause we have before, but you weren't really a willing participant. Either time. So it was sort of one sided…" he trailed off, realizing Rose was looking at him rather curiously.

"Rose?" he said, trying to read her expression.

Her brown eyes were focused intensely on his before her gaze drifted to his lips. He swallowed reflexively, realizing exactly where this was going. Rose leaned in so their lips were nearly touching. Her gaze lifted again to meet his, and what he found there made his breath catch. It was _want_. And despite the current situation, seeing it there… for _him_... he couldn't help his reaction, which was arousal in it's purest form.

This was SO not how he'd envisioned their first proper consensual kiss. In his mind he'd imagined them sitting together… maybe in the TARDIS library or even better; under the stars watching the meteor showers on Huers Prime…

But it didn't look like those were to be the circumstances. It looked like they were about to snog in front of a crowd of interested onlookers. Part of him wanted to pull back, knowing this wasn't good enough… not nearly significant enough a place to have such a monumental moment happen. All those thoughts crowded his mind even as he leaned in the rest of the way… eliminating the distance between him and this brilliant woman. His lips brushed against hers softly at first, but she quickly brought more pressure to meet his gentle touch. For one glorious moment, time slowed. Every nerve ending sang in response to her proximity and even as his tongue twinned with hers, he knew he was done for. This was a floodgate he'd been so very reticent to open…. but now that the dam had broken, he desperately hoped Rose could maybe see her way to having more with him. More of _this_, of course… but that's not all. Somewhere deep, deep within him, something stirred. Something ancient and primal.

Finally, Rose pulled back and leaned her forehead once again against his. "If we're gonna snog, we might as well do it properly, yeah?" she said, a bit breathlessly. Pulling back a bit further, she studied his face, searching for regret, he knew.

She wouldn't find any. Not for this.

"Doctor, I…" she started.

"Rose…" he interrupted, "I…" his gaze dropped to his lap. How could he say what was on his mind. He knew he needed to tell her… he _wanted_ to tell her… but this wasn't the time. Not here. This is _not_ where he wanted to share his feelings with Rose Tyler. He had _plans_ for that. And he wouldn't have his feelings on parade for creatures who didn't deserve to be a part of them.

Rose's gaze dropped as well. The Doctor could feel her body tense beside his. "Doctor, I'm sorry… I shouldn't have… must… must be the painkillers...I'm not thinking straight," she mumbled uncomfortably, trying to shift herself away from him a bit.

"Rose… it's not that… it's just that… these…" he gestured to their captors, and then dejectedly dropped his hands in his lap. "This isn't what I wanted. Not at all," he said and then sighed. He wasn't explaining this well.

"Oh," Rose said, her brow furrowing. Oh God… her eyes were glistening with embarrassed tears… this is NOT _at all_ what he wanted!

"Rose… it's not that I don't want to… 'cause I _do_," he assured her, taking her hands solidly in his. "I just… I didn't want it to be like this… with us captured on some planet being treated like property. I had… _plans_," he said beseechingly.

With that, Rose's eyes lifted to meet his. "Yeah?" she said, her voice small...hopeful.

"Yeah," he said gently.

A soft smile reached her mouth then, even as a tear escaped the corner of her eye. Oh, Rose. Pulling her to him, the Doctor encased her in a hug. He _so_ wanted to get her back up traveling among the stars and away from this bloody sandy-ass planet. If he never saw a reptile again in his life it would be too soon.


	14. Rivalled

In which Rex lets his true colours show...

* * *

**CHAPTER 14 - Heeled: Rivalled**

The Doctor and Rose's moment of intimacy went far from unnoticed by the Danarians in the room. The Doctor had done his best to ignore their attention until he'd properly explained himself to his incredible human, but that done, he couldn't help but listen to an apparently continuing conversation between Yula and Henny.

"I don't know, Henny. Are you sure? What about Rex?" Yula said, sounding concerned.

Henny grimaced a bit, "He won't like it," she admitted ruefully, "but she won't have anything to do with him… that way," she said, exasperated.

"Sounds like our first date," Gard snorted.

Henny double elbowed him. "Gard! Honestly!" she giggled. "I'm _sorry_ about him… he's a right prat sometimes," she said, rolling her eyes.

Yula and Lim both chuckled.

"Anyway… if you don't mind, maybe we could try it?" Yula continued. "Not today, obviously… we'll have to prepare the kids. Maybe… tomorrow? You could drop him off after tea and pick him up again in a few days. Might have more luck if we give them the whole week."

Luck? The whole week? The Doctor wasn't _positive_ about the exact topic of conversation, but was willing to bet it involved, at the very least, substantial embarrassment, and at most…

"Sure. Why not. And it looks like Daisy might be a bit more interested if it's Hue doing the 'wooing'," Lim added, looking a bit proud to be the owner of an apparently desirable 'human'. "I mean _look_ at them! Hue's got the _moves_!" Lim nodded, laughing. The others joined in laughing as well.

Oooookaaaay… right. Wooing. They were talking about breeding them... together. The Doctor felt a surge of anger and frustration course through him even as he heard Rose's breath catch.

"Ummm, Doctor," Rose said, avoiding looking directly at him, "I… uh, think we need to talk about getting out of here soon, yeah?" she said nervously.

He couldn't agree more. Not that he was opposed to the idea of, uh, 'being' with Rose… he was pretty sure he'd made that clear a moment ago… but if that day ever actually came, it would involve moonlight and stars… not a kennel and onlookers. And if he was ever going to 'woo' Rose Tyler, it would be on his own terms, and he would make it a 'wooing' she'd never forget.

Suddenly, Gard's voice piped up, "Oi! Speak of the devil. They're back," he said, something catching his eye out the front window. Within moments, the front door opened and closed as Diro walked in. "Hey, buddy… I didn't see your sister out there… where is she?" Gard asked his son who still wasn't in view.

"She saw Maffy on the way home and stopped to talk. I didn't want to wait," the boy's voice answered in monotone.

"Oh, okay. Hey listen… you've met Sanjay's parents… Yula and Lim, right?" Gard continued as the boy stepped into view.

"Yeah. Hi," he said with a small wave but no smile.

"Diro, could you get the humans a couple of treats? They're being so good. Oh… how was Rex?" Henny asked as Rex walked into the room. It appeared they'd finally taken off the man's collar. "Was he quiet?"

"Yeah. Had to give him heck once, but that's it," he said, already heading to the kitchen for the requested treats.

The Doctor could imagine what exactly 'heck' meant as he watched Rex enter the room. The male was tense and it didn't take long for him to scan the room to find Rose. On seeing her, the Doctor could almost feel the man's anxiety ebb a bit. But that was only in the split-second before he realized who was sitting beside her. A tangible wave of tension radiated from the human and it was all directed at him.

"Oh oh. This should be interesting," Gard chuckled, watching Rex approach the Doctor and Rose.

The Doctor stayed seated beside Rose but didn't break eye contact with the other male, who had moved to stand directly across from him.

"Move," Rex said simply. The Doctor responded only with a firm stare.

Rose jumped in quickly to try diffuse the situation with, "Rex… this is the Doctor. I told you… he's my… friend, yeah? Why don't you sit down and I'll tell you what's going on," she suggested calmly.

"Move," Rex repeated, returning the Doctor's glare and stoically ignoring Rose's suggestion.

"Rex… I would take her advice if I were you," the Doctor warned.

"C'mon, Rex," Rose added, her voice rising. "Sit down and we can talk."

Then, in a flash, the young man was moving in. Rose, positioned in front of the Doctor, put her hand up to try to hold Rex back, but with no effort he stepped over her and punched the Doctor square in the jaw. The Doctor was a bit dazed from the force of the punch and before he knew it, Rex was picking Rose up, cradling her in his arms.

"Rex! What the hell are you doing!" she shouted, pounding the man in the chest. "Put me down RIGHT NOW!"

Rex ignored her commands and began walking away toward the hall.

During all this, the Danarians sat looking rather stunned. Henny was the first to move. "Gard! Grab him!" she directed her husband, pointing to Rex.

"Right!" he replied, getting up to stop the male from leaving the room with Rose.

In the meantime, the Doctor was on his feet and was halfway across the room when he was nabbed and scooped up around the waist by Lim. He actually found himself growling in frustration as Lim gripped him tighter as he fought to get free.

Then he heard both Rex and Rose cry out and all activity stopped. "Gard!" Henny cried, as she rushed over. Gard had apparently slapped Rex hard enough to make him lose his grip on Rose who was now on the ground at Gard's feet.

"ROSE!" the Doctor yelled. She was curled up on her leg, her face scrunched up in pain. The Doctor fought harder to get down and finally Lim relented and let go, letting the Doctor scramble over to Rose's side.

Rex managed to climb to his feet and looked completely stunned down at Rose as she repeated 'Ow ow ow ow," as the Doctor cradled her.

"Rose… I'm sorry! I'm really sorry!" Rex said, almost pleading, clearly mortified that his actions had caused her pain.

"Gard… get him out of here," Henny directed, pointing at Rex. Gard responded by forcefully cuffing the man in the head so that he went sprawling across the floor toward the hall.

"NO!" Gard scolded the young man, advancing on him. Rex looked up at Gard, clearly afraid, and scooted back away from the reptile as he closed in. "NO! BAD BOY!" the lizard yelled.

The fear on Rex's face was clear and heartbreaking, and even after what he'd done, the Doctor felt badly for the man. He clearly cared for Rose and was mortified to have done something to cause her pain. That obviously didn't justify his attack, but the Doctor could understood that kind of fierce loyalty to someone, as he was living it with the same girl this man obviously also felt it for. And _no one_ deserved to be abused.

The Doctor carefully released Rose before standing and swiftly moving to place himself protectively between Rex and his owner.

The look of surprise on Gard's face was actually priceless, and if the situation had been different, the Doctor would've laughed out loud. The massive lizard was completely flummoxed. "What…?" he said, his expression one of complete confusion. "What in Kila's name is your human doing?" he said over his shoulder to Lim and Yula.

All the Danarians in the room were standing, obviously slightly at a loss as to what to do. Finally Yula stepped in. "I think he's… he's actually worried about Rex!" she said, amazed.

Then Stala's voice piped up from behind her mother. "He doesn't want you to hurt him, Daddy," she said. "He likes him," she added.

The Doctor didn't know if he'd go _that_ far, but she had the right idea.

Some of the tension in Gard's body left him and he stood straighter. "Well, I'll be. Look at that," he said, allowing himself a small chuckle. "I didn't know humans could be like that," he said, honestly.

Meanwhile, Stala had moved to kneel beside Rex, who hadn't moved from the floor. "Can I put him in his kennel, Daddy? I think he's sorry," she said, looking down at the young man.

Henny moved to Stala's side and said, "I think I should do it, honey. He's a bit unpredictable right now… I'm worried he'll bite you or something,"

"He won't bite me," she said assuredly. "He's just sad about Daisy, 'cause she likes Hue so much. That's all."

Out of the mouths of babes, the Doctor mused.

"Well… I'll help you with him, okay?" Henny said, helping Rex to his feet before guiding him away down the hall.

The Doctor, meanwhile, had moved back to Rose's side. "Are you okay?" he whispered urgently, checking her over as best he could with no equipment or real access to her leg under the cast. He couldn't see any new injuries, but that didn't mean the original break hadn't been re-injured.

Rose nodded, biting her bottom lip, obviously still in pain. "Just banged my leg when I fell," she winced.

From somewhere above them Yula said, "Gard… maybe Daisy needs more painkillers? She doesn't look well."

"Oh… yeah. Good idea," the huge male agreed, sloughing off to find them.

"Looks like I'm going back to 'La La land'," Rose said, giving the Doctor a pained smile.

"It's okay, Rose. I'll be here. And you're in pain. This is one time I actually agree with these bloody lizards," he said ruefully.

Rose smiled up at him, bringing her hand up to stroke his face. He leaned his cheek against her palm, enjoying the warmth of her touch. "I'm going to get us out of here, Rose. I promise," he said seriously. "But you aren't running anywhere anytime soon. It looks like I may have to make a break for it to find the TARDIS. When I do, I'll come back and get you as quickly as I can," he said, looking down at her.

Rose only nodded. She was clearly unhappy with the idea, but obviously understood the reasons for it. Then, after a moment, she said… "Just be careful, yeah? Don't get yourself caught and back in the shelter. I… I need you," she said, her voice soft… her eyes imploring.

His hearts clenched. "I will. I promise," he said, "I'll be back. Don't worry. Just get better," he said, sounding bossy on purpose.

Rose gave him a soft grin. "Yes, Sir Doctor."

Just then, Gard came back in the room with a syringe. The Doctor's eyes widened. A needle? Surely this lump of a lizard didn't have the expertise to inject a human properly. The Doctor watched as the reptile moved to kneel beside Rose. Instinctively, he pulled Rose closer to him, turning her so she wasn't easily accessible for puncturing.

"Doctor…" Rose whispered, obviously realizing what he was thinking, "It's okay… it's just an oral medication… it's not a needle," she assured him.

The Doctor relaxed a bit and reluctantly turned her back to face the Danarian, eying him warily.

"Lim… could you come get your human? I think he's a bit rattled and I don't want him to hurt Daisy," the large male said.

As _if_ he'd hurt her, the Doctor thought, rolling his eyes. What did they think this had all been about in the first place?

"C'mon, Hue," Lim said, taking the Doctor's hand and pulling him away from Rose. As much as he wanted to argue, he knew he should probably let this one pass. Rose was in no immediate danger and, while he always preferred being by her side, he didn't want anymore drama around all this. She needed some rest and some calm.

He watched as Rose opened her mouth so Gard could slowly depress the syringe filled with the medication. Rose drank it without incident and Gard, apparently satisfied with the task having been completed, stood and left the room with the empty syringe.

"There you go, buddy," Lim said, ruffling the Doctor's hair before releasing his hand.

The Doctor quickly moved back Rose's side once again, but this time he scooped her up in his arms. Lim hissed in a breath, clearly concerned for the female's injury, but before the large lizard could protest, the Doctor had walked Rose back over to the foamy bed in the corner and deposited her there carefully, ever mindful of her injury.

"Wow," Henny said having entered the room with Gard in time to see the Doctor carrying Rose, "now _that's_ devotion," she said, clearly touched by the Doctor's actions.

"Hey! I'm devoted! You're just too heavy for me to do that with you," Gard countered.

Henny turned and wickedly elbowed her husband who let out a loud "Oouff!" with the impact.

"Serves you right," Yula laughed. "If Lim ever said that to me he'd be lucky to have any ribs left in one piece!"

Lim merely nodded, acknowledging the truth of the statement.

"We're so sorry about all this, you guys… I feel so bad about Rex," Yula apologized to their hosts. "Maybe we should take Hue out to the car? This _is_ Rex's home, after all," she added.

The Doctor stiffened. He did not want to have to leave Rose any sooner than absolutely necessary. He caught Rose's expression which must've been echoing his own. She wasn't happy with the idea either.

"No… it's fine. Really," Henny assured them. "Rex will calm down in a bit. I just think he has bonded with Daisy more than she'll ever bond with him. Poor fella," she said a bit wistfully. "And anyway… I want Hue and Daisy to spend lots of time together. They say mating is more likely to be successful that way," she added authoritatively. "Speaking of… I guess we should talk about what happens after, yeah? I mean, I'm _convinced_ they were a mated pair before we ever adopted them. Don't you think? I've honestly never seen humans act like this. Mind you, we've never owned a mated pair…" Henny said, her voice trailing off.

"What? Henny…what are you thinking?" Yula asked, leaning toward her friend.

"Well… I was just thinking… I know you and Lim just adopted Hue recently… and we've just done so with Rex. Do you think…" she said, and then paused. "No. Never mind. It' a bad idea," Henny concluded.

"What? What is?" Yula asked, her interest now piqued.

Henny considered her next thought a bit more before deciding to share, "Well, I was _thinking_ we should probably have Rex stay with you guys while we get Hue and Daisy together, if that's alright. It will be hard enough to encourage them to mate without Rex hovering."

"Oh! Sure! That's a great idea. Whatever is easier," Yula agreed.

"And… what if … after they've mated… we just have Hue continue on with us? As long as Rex is happy with you guys, and Sanjay doesn't miss Hue too badly," Henny said hopefully.

A look of concern crossed Yula's face, "Oh… I don't know…"

"Just think about it," Henny suggested. "I'm just worried about Daisy and Hue, is all. Everything I've read says mated pairs can do badly without each other," she advised. "In fact, I honestly haven't seen Daisy happier than I have today… except when Rex dropped her, of course…" she added. "And if we keep the pair, you guys could have the first humini they have."

The Doctor heard Rose draw in a startled breath. He, himself, had actually engaged his respiratory bypass in reaction to the comment. They were already giving away their offspring without so much as a second thought! For Rassilon's sake! What kind of bloody sick creatures would treat another sentient species this way!

"Well," Yula said, clearly actually considering it, "to be honest… I've never seen Hue as happy as he has been today," she admitted. "But… well, Sanjay is _really_ attached to Hue. I don't know if he'd go for it. And to be honest, he's pretty special to me now, as well. We'll have to talk about it."

"Of course! No pressure. I was just thinking that in the end it would probably be the best thing for all three of them. Rex is constantly badgering Daisy and I think she's getting tired of fending him off all the time."

The Doctor's re-established breathing once again stopped and he looked quickly at Rose who studiously looked away. "Rose…" he said lowly, his jaw tensing, "has Rex been…"

Rose looked up at him, her eyes betraying both anxiety and guilt. "Doctor… I… I didn't want to say anything… there's nothing you can do. And I've managed to keep him in check so far. He just… he's a bit persistent, is all. Nothing I can't handle," she said, trying to reassure him.

The Doctor's blood pressure didn't change, but that's only because he was Gallifreyan. Had he been human, it would've been through the roof. Suddenly he actually regretted trying to help the miserable prat earlier. He'd been trying to force himself on _his_ Rose. THAT was a bad idea. A very VERY _extremely_ not good idea. And Rex was about to find out _exactly_ how _not good_ the Doctor thought his idea had been.


	15. Confronted

The Doctor confronts Rex about his treatment of Rose so far...

* * *

**CHAPTER 15 - Heeled: Confronted**

_The Doctor's re-established breathing once again stopped and he looked quickly at Rose who studiously looked away. "Rose…" he said lowly, his jaw tensing, "has Rex been…"_

_Rose looked up at him, her eyes betraying both anxiety and guilt. "Doctor… I… I didn't want to say anything… there's nothing you can do. And I've managed to keep him in check so far. He just… he's a bit persistent, is all. Nothing I can't handle," she said, trying to reassure him. _

_The Doctor's blood pressure didn't change, but that's only because he was Gallifreyan. Had he been human, it would've been through the roof. Suddenly he actually regretted trying to help the miserable prat earlier. He'd been trying to force himself on his Rose. THAT was a bad idea. A very VERY _extremely_ not good idea. And Rex was about to find out exactly how not good the Doctor thought his idea had been._

"Doctor?" Rose said tentatively, obviously sensing the rising torrent of anger in him.

The Doctor stood, his fists clenched at his side, and strode to the hallway. _No one_ tried to force themselves on Rose. Full stop. And this puny ape would never do it again.

"Doctor!" Rose urgently whispered behind him.

He knew he should calm down. He knew he should stop and think and take a deep cleansing breath. He _knew_ he should still be trying his best to look docile. But knowing all that didn't change what he was about to do.

The Danarians had perhaps noticed him leaving the room, but they didn't seem overly concerned, as no one followed him. Moving swiftly toward the kitchen, he heard the rattle of a kennel door off somewhere ahead and to the right. Following his ears, he came to a storage closet much like the one his kennel sat in at Sanjay's place.

Inside, he found Rex sitting crosslegged inside a massive kennel, pulling the threads from the corner of a blanket. Wait. One kennel. Where was Rose's? A very unwanted thought was knocking on the door to his conscious mind and even entertaining it was enough to make him livid. Were they made to sleep in the same kennel every night? Was Rose literally being locked in a small confined space with a man who put pressure on her to… to…

"What do _you_ want?" Rex said, interrupting his very disturbing thought.

The Doctor stood glaring down at the man inside the cage. Part of him wished Rex wasn't locked behind the bars of the kennel so he could throttle the nonchalant look off the git's face. The slightly more rational side of him knew this situation was probably for the best. Killing someone with your bare hands was rarely good for the soul, and the Doctor suspected he'd be hard pressed to keep his hands to himself if he actually had access to the man's neck.

Slowly, methodically, the Doctor knelt so he was face to face with the much much younger man. Dark storm clouds of rage rolled in his mind as he tried to find reason within himself. "I understand you're having trouble understanding what Rose has been trying to tell you," he said as calmly as he could.

"Oh yeah? What's that then?" Rex said challengingly.

"That she is _not_ interested in you," the Doctor said, his voice low.

Rex scoffed. "She tell you that?" he asked. "That's not what she told me last night, mate," he chuckled.

The Doctor clenched his fists and continued as if the man hadn't said a word. "You are going to leave her alone from now on. Do you understand? Leave. Her. Alone."

Rex's jaw tensed as he gripped the bars and glared defiantly back at the Doctor. "I'll do whatever I bloody please with Rose, because she is for _me_," the man said, raising his voice. "She was adopted for _me_. _I've_ been the one here protecting her from that little prat and keeping her safe."

"Well, you've done a right good job of _that_, then, haven't you?" the Doctor said, arching an eyebrow.

"That wasn't my fault," the man railed. "The kid was aiming for me and she jumped in between us! I told her to stay back, but she wouldn't listen," he said, a bit deflated.

The Doctor inwardly sighed. It figured his brave girl would do something like that. She never could just stand by and watch someone else get hurt, even if she was risking her own safety. As much as the Doctor loved that about her, it also drove him mad sometimes. "Yeah, sounds like her," he agreed, "but that doesn't change the reason for this chat. Rose is my best mate and I won't stand by and watch you try to push yourself on her. Are we clear?"

Rex studied the Doctor for a moment before answering. "I know what this is about, you know," he said with a smirk.

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "Oh, you do, do you? Well, what, pray tell, is that?"

"You lost Rose because you didn't protect her in the first place. She told me all about how you take her to all these great places in your spaceship, but then she's telling me about all these dangerous things that you two have done and how she's been hurt a few times… what kind of mate are you? At least _I_ try to keep her _away_ from danger! You actually bring her right to it!" the man hissed. "I think we both know she'd be better off without you."

The arrow hit it's mark. Many of the very thoughts he'd had himself had just been spoken aloud by someone else who cared about Rose. The very foundation of his worry had just been shored up yet again. He was _so_ not good for her. Everything he was about was dangerous. His life was full of wonders, but around every corner lurked possible trouble for those who travelled with him. And how many had suffered because of it? Too many.

But that didn't change the current situation. Right now he had a job to do. Keep Rose Tyler safe. And that was what he was going to do.

Taking a measured breath, the Doctor dropped his voice to nearly a whisper. "Listen, _Tex_, this is the one and only warning you will get. If you so much as lay a finger on Rose, I will make your life so unpleasant that you will wish you were dead. Do you understand me?" the Doctor said ominously.

The look in the Doctor's eyes must have been something akin to pure darkness, as Rex actually found himself at a loss for a moment. He managed to rally quickly enough, though, and went in for the final attack.

"Don't you threaten _me_, _Hue_. Rose is _mine_ now. And once you're out of the picture for good, she'll see how much better off she is without you. She needs a _real_ man to take care of her… not some useless old prat. And I'm warning you. If you try to stand in my way, I'll claim her whether she likes it or not. Don't think I won't," he sneered.

Rage flew through the Doctor's body and radiated from every pore. Pure, unleashed fury churned behind his eyes. The young man in the kennel knew he'd hit his mark, but wasn't quite ready for the raw energy of the fall out, which actually made him back away from the door of the kennel. "You know what… I don't doubt that you wouldn't. So I'm sorry. I'm sorry for this. But not sorry enough to stop myself," the Doctor said through clenched teeth.

Then, much to Rex's amazement, the Doctor turned and left.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

It was some time later before the Doctor made his way back to the living room. The adult Danarians were no where to be seen, having probably headed out to the back yard where they had been planning to have tea.

Rose, on seeing him enter, sat up straight and tried to focus her eyes on his. Gods. His poor drugged girl. He was saddened that they weren't likely to be able to talk about anything else important today, as she wouldn't likely remember it now, but at least she probably wasn't in pain anymore. "Where were you?" Rose said, her tired voice laced with concern. "I was sooo _worried_!" she slurred.

"I went to talk to Rex," he said, settling in beside her on the bed. Then, taking in her dubious look, he said, "What? I only talked, Rose, I swear. No bones were broken and no hairs were harmed. That's not to say that I didn't want to feed him his own bullocks through a straw… but I didn't," he said. "I swear," he added for good measure.

Rose's eyes narrowed in suspicion as she studied his face, which he kept openly innocent.

"Hmmm. Okay, then," she said cautiously. "But you were gone a bloody long time, Time Lord," she said, pointing her finger at him accusingly. "What took you so fuckin' long?"

"Rose! Language! Sheesh - drug you beyond reason and your mouth becomes a sewer!" chastising her lightly before grinning widely. Rose rolled her eyes in response before saying, "C'mon, Doctor. Don't try to change the sujbect… subject," she corrected. "You were up to something, I can tell by your big brown… brown… brown eyes. God… they're SO brown. And sexy. They're sesky eyes, you know that?" Rose said, leaning forward and staring unflinchingly into his eyes.

"Yes, Rose… they're brown," he smiled affectionately. "As for sexy… I think you're drugged. And I think you need to lie down," he advised, gently taking her by the shoulders and easing her down into a lying position on the pet bed.

"Will you lie down with me?" she said, her eyes already sliding closed.

Wordlessly, the Doctor lay behind Rose and wrapped his arm around her, careful not to snuggle in too close. The effect she had on him was becoming more and more difficult for him to control lately, and the last thing he needed was for her to have the evidence of his interest in her poking into her back. Rose, however, apparently had other ideas it seemed, as she wiggled herself backward to push her admittedly beautiful backside flush against his front.

"Where were you, again?" she mumbled.

"Oh... I, uh, went to talk to Rex and then I chatted with Stala and Sanjay for a bit, that's all," he said, thankful for the distraction from her very luscious and _close_ bottom, even if it was a short distraction.

"Wha' for?" she asked drowsily.

"Just… shooting the breeze. Bit of chit chat. You know. Sowing the seeds of freedom, an' all that," he said lightly.

Rose giggled lightly, then stopped. Then giggled again.

"What?" the Doctor asked. "Care to share what you're finding so entertaining?"

Rose's giggle turned into a silent, shaking laughter beside him.

"What?! What did I say?!" the Doctor demanded, also beginning to laugh at the level of mirth she was exuding about some unknown hilarity.

Rose's response to his demand was a loud peal of laughter that quickly turned into an outright belly laugh. Soon she was having to clutch her stomach as she gasped in breaths between loud guphaws and snorts. The words 'sewing' and 'seeds' were sandwiched between cackles and chuckles as laughter racked her body. The Doctor couldn't help but be swept up in her giddiness, and soon they were both laughing so hard tears were rolling down Rose's face and the Doctor was almost in need of his respiratory bypass.

They laughed and laughed to the point where when one would stop and sigh, the other would take up laughing again and the whole thing would spiral into helpless mirth. This repeated itself a few times before both were completely spent, finally lying on their backs on the bed both staring up at the ceiling.

Comfortable silence finally fell over them as they gained back their breath and composure while lying limp beside each other. Finally, calm having finally been established and maintained for a bit, Rose spoke up. "When we get out of here, can we get some chips?" she said wistfully. "You know… proper chips. And fish. Fish with chips. Together on my plate?"

The Doctor smiled at her difficulty with organizing her thoughts, feeling pleased that at least she wasn't thinking about her injury right now. "Yeah… together on your plate, Rose. Fish and chips from the best fish and chippy you've ever set foot in. London, 2115. It's called just that, too. 'The Fish and Chippy'."

"Mmmm, sounds good," she said dreamily.

"Only the best for my… for us!" he said, amending his sentence mid-way. This was no time to presume possession, which was _not_ the best analogy for a relationship anyway… especially not after _this_ experience. No. No one could ever presume to have possession of Rose Tyler. Not the Danarians and certainly not him. At best, they could hope that she'd share her presence with them for however long she'd grace them with it.

The thought stopped him cold. How ironic that it took him being removed from her to realize that _any_ amount of time she could give him would be a gift that he'd be foolish to turn away.

A soft snore pulled him from his thoughts and he gazed over at Rose who had succumbed to sleep. The room had grown quite dark with the lights off and the sun having just faded from view over the horizon. He wasn't about to complain though. He could think of many worse things than having to lie in the dark on a soft bed beside Rose Tyler. He could think of a few better things as well, and none of them involved the sleeping part of the scenario.

Oh well, he thought, turning his head once again to gaze at this fantastic girl. At least things looked to be moving ahead with his plan. He hadn't had a chance to tell Rose, but it looked like it would be soon. A few things needed to fall into place, but he had a feeling things were looking positive finally.

In one week's time they would be whirling in the vortex and this would all be behind them.


	16. Observed

Thanks to all my incredible readers for faving and commenting! I've been just thrilled at the reaction this story has gotten... I'm truly honoured!

Well... this chapter finds Rose and the Doctor once again having to deal with even more humiliation. Hopefully they'll get through it with a modicum of dignity left...

* * *

**CHAPTER 16 - Heeled: Observed**

The Doctor let Rose sleep for a couple of hours before gently waking her again. It was fully dark in the room as it was mid-evening and he knew they didn't have long before the fireworks started. Tonight was some celebration or other, he vaguely recalled the Danarians discussing, where the 'sky lights' were apparently quite spectacular. After that, it wouldn't be long before Lim would be gathering everyone up to leave.

"Rose…" he said, gently easing her hair away from her face. "Wake up, sleepy human," he sang lightly.

Rose turned toward him and nestled into his chest, curling her hands up between them and digging her head into the crook of his shoulder. "Mmmph," she replied crankily before letting sleep reclaim her again.

"Roooose…" he said, gently poking his finger in her ear.

"Mmmmmm," she groaned unhappily waving his hand away and shaking her head.

"Hey, sleepyhead!" he said, smiling down at her, singing, "No shakies, just wakies!"

Grinning despite herself, she cracked an eye open. "Blimey… are you always this annoying in the morning?" she asked sleepily before turning over on her back again and stretching her arms above her head. He was about to argue that it actually wasn't anywhere near 'morning', but her full stretch caused her breasts to push up into the air under her thin t-shirt, which, in turn, caused the Doctor to immediately lose any mildly intelligent thought he may have been having.

"I… um, thought… I should probably, you know, wake you up since… uh, you… I mean, we probably don't have much more time…" he trailed off, realizing she was smiling at him. "What?"

"You seem a bit distracted, Doctor. You okay?" she grinned, tongue in teeth.

"Who, me? Yeah! I'm fine. Completely not distracted. Focused Fred, they call me. Oooo… I hope they don't really call me that," he added as an afterthought.

Rose just smiled up at him, grinning. "Riiiight," she said. "You don't mind if I just… stretch a bit more, then? Been curled up all afternoon and I'm a bit sore," she said before once again raising her arms above her head and stretching like a cat in the sun. Once again, her pert breasts pushed up against the flimsy fabric of her shirt, and this time the stretch pulled it up so the creamy flesh of her stomach was revealed. A shot of desire coursed through the Doctor as his eyes soaked in the quite breathtaking sight before him.

Finally, having lingered in her stretched position a touch longer than she likely required… the minx… Rose settled back down onto the bed, her arms now resting above her head as she momentarily closed her eyes. The moonlight from the window shone down, creating alluring shadows as it touched and skipped over her curves making them somehow achingly mysterious as if they were inviting him to explore. And given his inquisitive nature, he could hardly blame himself for wanting to travel into unexplored territory. At least, that's what he was telling himself even as his hand was reaching out to tentatively touch the sliver of exposed skin above the pants they'd given her to wear.

Rose sucked in an aroused breath at his touch, which fueled his desire to proportions he was surprised by. Oh Gods… he _wanted_ her. This perfect, young, vibrant woman who was currently lying prostrate before him, practically _calling out_ for him to take her. The scent of her arousal pheramones suddenly surrounded the air he was breathing and with that he heard a quite ferral growl. Rose's eyes flew open, as she'd heard the sound as well. It had come from _him_, he realized then, but he was unable to even feel badly about the baseness of his reaction. His hand found it's way under the soft fabric of her shirt to travel needily up her ribs to the underside of her breast even as his eyes bored into hers. Her breath was coming in short pants now and her eyes were hooded and dark, even in the moonlight. Reaching her hand out to cradle his neck, she pulled him in and pressed her lips to his, immediately seeking out the warmth of his mouth with her tongue.

The passionate connection of their lips pressed his arousal to new heights and his hand travelled further north to cup Rose's round breast which he squeezed with reverent intensity. Rose moaned under him and arched up, pressing herself further into his palm. He responded with a more forceful squeeze and a moan himself before trailing his hand across her chest to give her other breast equal attention.

Then, as if daylight exploded in the room, the lights were thrown on. "Oh!" Henny exclaimed, two of her hands flying up to cover her mouth. "Oh my!" she said again.

The Doctor and Rose quickly scrambled apart, with Rose quickly readjusting her shirt while the Doctor put at least a foot between him and the woman beside him.

"Yula!" Henny called down the hall, her eyes never leaving the pair, "Come see this!" she hollered.

The Doctor felt himself flush and he could tell Rose was blushing furiously as well. But under his embarrassment, anger was simmering and pushing it's way forward. He'd allowed this to happen… he apparently couldn't manage his hormones anymore… and now he'd subjected them to very very much unwanted sexual scrutiny. On top of that, Rose was still probably a bit loopy after the painkiller earlier, and he'd all but taken full advantage of her! Bloody hell.

Yula turned the corner with a questioning look before spying her Hue in the corner with Daisy. "What happened?" she asked, looking back at Henny.

"Well, I think they were about to mate! Damn it… I wish I hadn't turned on the light!" she admonished herself.

_Why? So you could watch it like some sort of sick voyeur?_ the Doctor thought bitterly.

"You're kidding!" Yula said excitedly. "Well… let's leave them alone again… you never know… they might go ahead if we leave," she suggested.

Just then, Sanjay and Stala ran up behind their mothers. "C'mon Mommy! The sky lights are gonna start!" Stala sang before noticing their pets looking startled in the corner of the room. "Hey… what's going on?" she asked, moving forward.

Henny stopped her and pulled her back, "Nothing, sweetheart… just, well… remember how I told you about Hue and Daisy making a baby… a humini?"

Stala nodded.

"Well, that's what they were doing, so we have to leave them alone," she explained.

"Really!" Sanjay said, excitedly. "Hue's going to be a Daddy?!" he exclaimed.

"Hopefully, Sanjay," his mother said, "but we have to leave them alone for a while if we want Daisy to get pregnant, okay?" she said patiently.

"Awwwww… but why do we have to leave?" Stala asked. "My friend Ryla's humans had sex and she got to watch," she frowned.

"Stala! Really!" Henny said, clearly embarrassed. Yula smirked as she caught Henny's eye… a little friendly acknowledgement of how ridiculous parenting could be sometimes. "Stala… remember how we talked about… um, mating… how humans like it better if its private?" she said, hoping for no further argument from the child.

Stala's shoulder's slumped. "Awww. Okay," she said rolling her eyes. "Hey Sanjay, wanna race to the tirtla and back?" she challenged, already moving on from the disappointment.

"Sure!" Sanjay said, running back down the hall with Stala close behind.

"Okay," Yula said, after the kids departed. "Let's go," she suggested, touching her friend on the shoulder.

"Good idea," Henny said before flicking the light off. Yula left the room and the Doctor could hear her as she moved back down the hall. Henny, however, still stood quietly by the door.

The Doctor and Rose sat quietly for a few moments before Rose said softly, "Are they gone?"

She obviously couldn't see Henny's figure still lurking in dark of the doorway. "No," he said, his voice tense with anger. "I think she's waiting for a show," he said infuriatedly.

They sat silently in the patch of moonlight filtering through the window for another few minutes before Henny obviously gave up and made her way back down the hall.

The Doctor took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to reign in his frustration. "She's gone now, Rose," he said, realizing she probably didn't know Henny had left.

He sensed Rose's body relax beside him with the news. "Doctor…" she said tentatively, "I'm really sorry. I… I wasn't thinking…" she said before he cut her off.

"No, Rose. This is _not_ your fault," he said a little more forcefully than he'd intended. "It's _my_ fault. You can't help it if your hormones take over, but I'm a Time Lord, for Rassilon's sake! I should be able to control myself!" he said frustratedly.

Rose sat up and looked at him incredulously. "I let my hormones take over?!" she said indignantly, her eyes alight. "So I'm a slave to my hormones, is that it? I can't control myself because I'm just a ridiculous ape?!" she said, her voice rising.

Oh. That had come out wrong. "No… that's not what I meant, Rose," he said quickly, trying to think how to explain himself.

"Oh? How exactly did you mean it, then?" she said, obviously trying to keep calm.

"I just meant… I have better control of my hormones than you do, so _I'm_ the one who should've stopped before… before we…"

"Before _what_?" she countered angrily, waiting for an answer.

"Well.. you know… before we _did anything_," he said ineffectually.

"So… that was wrong, what we did just now?" she said, looking partly frustrated and partly insecure. "I thought… I thought you and I, well… after we kissed earlier, I thought…"

"We are!" the Doctor blustered. "I just… I don't want to, you know… I don't want you to do something you don't really want to… I mean, if you really think about it, that is. We shouldn't do this… not here. Not with that lot practically buying front row seats to watch. And what if you're just… what if you're still a bit off from the drugs? What if this isn't what you… should be doing?" he finished lamely.

"Look, Doctor," she said, lowering her voice, "I _knew_ what I was doing. I could've stopped you if I wanted to, but I didn't, because I _wanted_ it. Not because my hormones were somehow forcing me to shag you, yeah?" she said, her voice softening a bit.

The Doctor looked at the woman in front of him in wonder. What was he thinking, assuming he was worthy to be anywhere near this woman? "I just… you deserve… _better_," he said, defeated.

"Better?" she asked, clearly surprised at the comment.

"Yes, Rose. Better!" he said exasperatedly. He stood and began pacing in front of her. "You deserve… someone _younger_. Someone who can give you a normal life! Not like… _this_!" he said, gesturing wildly around the room. "_This_ is NOT a normal life, Rose. _This_ is insanity! And it's not right that you should have to live like this!" he said, still pacing. "You should have a normal life with some normal young bloke who could give you a real home and a family with human children. All that, not to mention the fact that you don't know, Rose… you don't know what I've done. You don't know how… _wrong_ I am for you! I lead you into possible danger every time we leave the TARDIS and I can't always protect you from it. Look at us!" he sputtered, throwing his arms up in the air. "Slaves! We're being treated like breeding stock, Rose! This isn't _right_ for you. You deserve _more_. Better," he finally finished, looking at her imploringly.

Rose sat stunned for a moment before her eyes hardened. Turning to get on her hands and knees, she brought her good leg up underneath her and stood shakily, wobbling unsteadily.

"Rose! What are you doing?!" he said frustratedly.

"I'm bloody standing up, Doctor," she said, taking the hand he offered her to steady herself. Finally standing face to chest with him, she looked up menacingly into his eyes. "I'm standing up for _us_," she said defiantly.

"Rose…" he started.

"No. You listen to me, Doctor. Do you think I haven't had opportunities to be with a human since we started travelling together?"

This comment took the Doctor by surprise. "I... er, I suppose you have," he replied, a bit stunned.

"You bet I have. Jack Harkness, for one. Could've shagged him and followed _him_ around the universe. Then there was Ewan that time we were in London in 2054. After you'd left the pub to head back to the TARDIS I stuck around and we chatted. He was nice. Normal. Young. Handsome…"

"Rose… is this going anywhere?" he asked, his ire getting up.

"You bet it is," she shot back. "Then there was the time we were stuck in the mine in Yellowknife in the gold rush, and that bloke… Peter, his name was...actually asked me to marry him a couple days after he'd rescued us."

The Doctor's eyebrows shot up into his hair.

"You didn't know that, did you? No. Because there was no reason to tell you. Because I wasn't _interested_ in him, Doctor. I wasn't _interested_ in those other men either. You know _why_? Because I've only ever been interested in _you_. If I _wanted_ a normal life, I could've gone off with any of those men. They were all fantastic prospects. But none of them were _you_," she said seriously. "THIS is the life I want, Doctor. Travelling the universe with you. Wherever we end up, we're good, as long as we end up together, yeah?" she said, looking at him imploringly.

Unable to find words to respond, the Doctor merely stared down at her intense eyes for a moment before she started in again. "And as for your past… Doctor… I've seen your present. And it's told me all I need to know about you. You care about others. You do your best to help when you can. And all of that _matters_. I can't absolve you, Doctor. You're the only one who can do that. All I can do is say that, in my heart, I believe that you've made the choices you've made out of necessity, not out of malice. You may not believe me, Doctor, but I _know_ you've always done what you thought was best for everyone, even when the decisions you had to made cost you your hearts," she said, her eyes shining with unshed tears.

The Doctor's throat constricted closed. Instinctively, he wanted to argue with her. He wanted to tell her how he would _never_ be able to absolve himself because what he'd done was incomprehensible. He wanted to name off all of the people and families he'd affected in the worst ways over his many lifetimes. He wanted to touch her mind and _prove_ to her what a coward and a monster he could be.

He wanted to do those things.

Instead, however, he threw his arms around Rose and pulled her close. He _didn't_ deserve her. He _knew_ that. In fact, nothing was clearer than that. But, Gods love her, if she was willing to be with him anyway, he was low enough to take her and not push her away, even if he knew he should.

Nuzzling his nose in her hair he inhaled deeply, taking in the essence of her beneath the strong smelling shampoo. "I…" and then he paused. What could he possibly say to rival such a selfless outpouring? He couldn't think of anything… not that he was yet quite ready to say... at least out loud. So he settled on a choked, "Thank-you."

Looking up at him from their embrace, Rose smiled softly. Her eyes held acceptance and, as always, patience. Leaning in, he kissed her, languidly and unhurriedly. Finally, they pulled back, allowing Rose needed breath.

"Let's figure out how to get ourselves off this bloody planet, yeah?" Rose suggested, "The sooner we do that, the sooner we can take up this conversation again in the privacy of the TARDIS," she smiled, planting one more soft kiss on his now smiling lips.


	17. Convinced

Here you go, my friends! The next instalment. Thanks again for your comments and support!

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**CHAPTER 17 - Heeled: Convinced**

"You're kidding?" the Doctor heard Yula say into the speakerphone as he rounded the corner coming into the kitchen.

"Well… we kind of saw it coming. And when Stala told me he'd been rutting up against her leg, well, I knew we had to do something," Henny's voice drifted from the speaker.

"Well, it's amazing he didn't hurt Daisy, if he's been so aggressive… is she alright?" Yula asked.

The Doctor's anxiety flew up to a peak level within seconds. "Oh yeah," Henny chuckled, "she's fine. Luckily, Stala told me about Rex's behaviour after you left, so we made sure to have Daisy sleep in Stala's room instead of in the kennel with him," she said.

The Doctor's hearts both seemed to restart at the same time and he released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. She was okay.

"So when do you get him back?" Yula asked.

"We pick him up in three days. Hey… speaking of… did you still want to bring Hue over tonight? Since Rex is gone we won't have to worry about you taking him in the meantime," Henny suggested. "Hopefully something will happen before he's back."

The Doctor's hopes rose a bit. Maybe this was the break they'd been waiting for.

"Sure, Henny, why not? But do you mind if we visit for a bit each day? Sanjay will be heartbroken without Hue," Yula added.

"Of course you can visit! Come by whenever you want! The jupa will be ready!" she said brightly.

The females settled on a time after tea to drop the Doctor off at Henny's place and then rang off. "Well, Hue… looks like you're going to have a sleepover at Daisy's place," Yula said, smiling down at him before kneeling in front of him. "I just hope you'll cooperate this time, you little molliger. I'm going to miss you!" she said, pulling him in for a hug.

Once again, the Doctor felt himself stiffen at the forced intrusion, but quickly relaxed as Yula rubbed his back. "You really are quite special, Hue," she said pulling back and ruffling his hair. Well, he had to admit, as much as he REALLY hated this situation in most respects, it could _definitely_ have been worse. His family… Gods, was he actually referring to them that way now?... THIS family… they certainly meant well, for being average 'pet' owners.

Finally, patting his back a couple of times before standing again, Yula moved to the treat cupboard and looked in, taking something out of a small bag. "Hmmm… I was sure we had more treats than this," she mused, rummaging through the cupboard.

Not anymore, the Doctor thought without remorse, remembering his raid of said cupboard as recently as last night.

"Oh well… here you go, buddy," she said, reaching down and handing him a chunk of chocolate. Never one to turn down a sweet, the Doctor took a large bite, allowing himself to savour it. Since he'd taken to finding Danarian alternatives to the terrible chow they'd been offering him, he'd been eating more regularly. Still. Nothing quite as good as a chunk of chocolate to get you through the day.

Yula sighed heavily, looking down at him, one set of hands on her hips and the other set pulling down the sides of her face. "Well… I suppose I should tell Sanjay you'll be gone for a few days, eh?" she said, clearly not too excited about the upcoming discussion. "He's pretty crazy about you, you know," she smiled down at him ruefully. Then, sighing again, she resignedly made her way down the hall to his room. Mika squeaked as she passed his room, apparently waking from his nap. Yula popped in and scooped him out of his crib before continuing on to her older son's room. The Doctor followed a few steps behind. As much as he couldn't wait to get off this planet, he couldn't help guilt from creeping into his gut when he thought of disappointing Sanjay. On the other hand, he knew children were resilient, and Sanjay would be no exception. He just hoped the boy wasn't too young to understand the importance of freedom for the species currently functioning as pets on his planet.

Sanjay had returned home from school and was currently playing with the toys in his room.

"Dayday!" the toddler squealed with joy upon laying eyes on his big brother. Sanjay looked up from his toys as his mother plopped Mika down on the floor beside him.

"What'cha doing?" Yula asked, kneeling down to get a closer look at the intricate set up Sanjay had built. He'd carefully placed all manner of toys around him and was currently setting up his action figures within the confines of his creation.

Mika, obviously completely oblivious to the effort put into the set up, gleefully grabbed a nearby block, knocking over several more toys in the process, and began chewing on it.

"MIKA!" Sanjay shouted, grabbing the toy away from the toddler. Mika, apparently completely shocked by this turn of events, looked wide-eyed at his mother before assembling his little lizardy features in pre-cry formation.

"Oh boy," Yula said just as a howl of sadness erupted from her youngest son. "Okay, buddy," she said, scooping Mika up from the floor. "Let's go find you something to do for a few minutes, yeah?" she said, taking him out of the room.

"I HATE IT when he takes my stuff," Sanjay ranted, carefully returning the block to its assigned place.

"Yeah," the Doctor agreed, watching him painstakingly try to reposition the toys. "It's hard when you've worked hard at something and then someone just steps in and ruins it. I mean… Mika didn't _know_ you'd worked so hard on building your town here, so it's not really his fault," the Doctor said before Sanjay interrupted him.

"It's a docking station," he corrected him.

"Right. Well, you've obviously worked hard to make it perfect, and he just came in and took what he wanted without asking. Makes you feel pretty helpless, doesn't it?" the Doctor acknowledged.

"It makes me mad," Sanjay said, likely not quite understanding the meaning of the word helpless. "It makes me want to break _his_ toys," he said, clenching all his fists. "I bet he wouldn't like that. If I did it to _his_ stuff."

The Doctor didn't bother correcting him on the fact that the toddler probably couldn't have cared less at his age, because he had a point to make. "I know what you mean. I felt like that when the shelter people took my home and my friend away from me.

This caught the young lizard's attention. "But you get to see Daisy all the time now," Sanjay said.

The Doctor had to tread carefully here if he wanted the boy to really understand. "And I'm thankful. I really am. But I wish I could just be with her in our own home. Our home is our spaceship. And I miss it. A lot," he said, purposefully looking mournful. Truthfully, he didn't have to try hard. He missed the hum of his ship around him as he tinkered and slept. He missed the thrum of the rotor as they flew off to some new planet. True, he could still feel her in the back of his mind, anchoring him. But nothing compared with the union he felt when he was piloting his incredible sentient ship. "And when those shelter people took me away from Daisy and our home, it was like how Mika took something away from you."

The little Danarian thought about that. "Did you want to break their stuff?" he asked, seemingly understanding the analogy.

"You know what? Yeah...I did. At first I did. I wanted to break everything because I was angry. I thought all Danarians were like them. That all Danarians wanted to take my home away from me. I thought they were all mean like those men," he said seriously. "But then I met you and your family. At first I was very angry… even at your Mom and Dad," he said honestly.

Sanjay looked at him, astonished. "Mommy and Daddy?"

"Yup," he said popping his 'p'. "Because I thought they did it on purpose. That they wouldn't let me go back to my home and to Daisy because they were mean. But they're not, are they?"

Sanjay looked mortified. "No way!" he confirmed wholeheartedly. "They wouldn't take your home away. They just didn't know you already had one."

The Doctor smiled. "I think I understand that now. Your Mom and Dad just don't understand that humans should be able to live in the their own homes if they want to. Like me and Daisy did," he finished.

"Do you still want to live in your home?" Sanjay said after a moment.

"Very much, Sanjay," he replied, nodding. "And I want to be your friend, because I like you very much. But I can't be. Not while I'm your pet. Do you know why?"

Sanjay shook his head, looking very concerned.

"Because if I'm a pet, it means that I'm not free. I can't live where I want, I can't go where I want, I can't spend time with who I want, and I can't be friends with who I want. While I'm a pet, I just have to follow orders. I have to do what you say. No matter what."

Sanjay looked at him blankly. He wasn't getting through. How could he explain this better? He began pacing a bit while the boy sat watching him. "It's like… okay, how about this…" the Doctor finally said, absently scratching the back of his neck. "Imagine if you wanted to be friends with Stala, but you were her pet.

"Like Daisy?" Sanjay asked.

"Exactly like Daisy. So imagine you are Stala's pet. She really likes you, but she won't let you leave her house to visit your Mom and Dad or to let you sleep in your own bed. Instead, she makes you sleep in her closet with none of your favourite things or with your family. You aren't allowed to wear your own clothes and you have to eat horrible food that tastes like rubbish...like, say… pears."

Sanjay made a face. Clearly the TARDIS's translator found something similar enough to pears to translate into Danarian. Seems every planet had an evil fruit.

"My feelings exactly," the Doctor confirmed. "Would you feel like you could really be her friend if she treated you like that? Like a pet?"

Sanjay's face contorted into a grimace. "No," he said, matter-of-factly.

"No. But if she lets you be _free_ and treats you fairly... lets you visit, but then lets you go home after… lets you wear your own clothes...lets you choose the food you will eat…_then_ you would be able to be her friend, right?"

Sanjay nodded.

"That's why I can't be a real friend. Because I'm a pet. But I don't want to be a pet, Sanjay. I want to be your friend. Your _real_ friend," the Doctor explained.

The Doctor could see the little Danarian try to process what he'd said. Finally he replied, "I want you to be my friend."

Inwardly, the Doctor heaved a sigh of relief. He'd gotten through to him. "Sanjay...I really like you. You're a brilliant boy. Really smart. And I think we _will_ be friends."

"Right," Sanjay nodded resolutely and stood. "I'm gonna help you be free, Hue," he confirmed. Then he thought for a moment before sadly confessing, "But I'm scared if you aren't my pet… I won't see you anymore," he said, his eyes filling with tears.

The Doctor, feeling for this young boy, took the lizard's two bottom hands in his. "Sanjay… you can force me to stay with you, because you're bigger than me. But I won't be happy. And I won't want to be with you. But if you let me go to live where I want, I'll visit you… because I will want to visit you. Because you will truly be my friend. And I'll be happy... because I'll be free. Do you understand?"

Sanjay nodded. "I think so. But… do you promise to visit me? At least on my birthday?" he asked.

The Doctor smiled. "Yeah, buddy. I promise to visit you on your birthday," he answered, opening his arms to invite the young reptile in for a hug. The boy moved in quickly and hugged him tightly, wrapping all his arms forcefully around the Doctor so he had to fight a bit for breath.

Just then Yula returned, obviously having deposited Mika somewhere else for the time being. Catching her son and his pet in an embrace, she cringed. It was obvious she figured Sanjay was so not going to be happy with her news. "Sanjay… we should talk for a few minutes," she said, taking his hand as he released the Doctor. Quietly, she lead him to sit on the bed with her.

"Okay," he said, settling himself beside her.

"I wanted to tell you what's going to happen with Hue this week," she said, glancing at their pet, who was now sitting on the floor beside the bed, fiddling idly with one of Sanjay's action figures, working to look like he wasn't actively listening to their conversation. "Do you remember yesterday when we talked about Hue maybe becoming a Daddy?"

"Yeah," he answered.

"Well...if we want Hue to be a Daddy, he has to spend more time with Daisy. So we're going to let him have a sleepover at Stala's house for a few days," she said carefully, waiting for the backlash.

"Okay," Sanjay replied simply. "But Mommy…" he said, a crease forming where his brows would be if he had any, "what if… what if Hue and Daisy don't want to have a baby?"

Clearly this wasn't the reaction Yula had been expecting at all. She looked back at her son, a bit startled by his easy acceptance of Hue's upcoming absence and by the seeming randomness of the question. "What do you mean, Sanjay?"

"Well… Hue said…" looking at his pet, then instantly revising his statement upon seeing the Doctor's wide, warning eyes, "I mean… um...okay, how about this…" he said scratching his neck in an exact imitation of the Doctor's earlier words and actions. "I don't like it if people make me sleep in the closet or make me eat _pears_," he grimaced, looking up at his mother. "So I don't think Hue should have a baby if he doesn't want to."

Yula looked at her son as if he'd grown a second head. "Sanjay… what are you talking about?"

Sanjay sighed dramatically, "I'm _saying_ that Hue is my _friend_ and I want him to go to his spaceship. He'll visit me. I know he will." he added, seriously.

"Okaaaay…" Yula said, looking at her son with a slightly concerned expression. "So… Sanjay, do you understand what I said? That Hue is going to sleepover at Stala's house?" she said looking into her son's face.

"Yeah. But I still don't know if he wants to have a baby. I thought _I_ wanted a baby in our house until you brought Mika home, and then he cried all the time and you and Daddy were tired a lot. Sometimes I wish we could send him back," he said honestly.

"Sanjay!" Yula exclaimed, laughing despite herself.

Sanjay smiled at his mother's laugh, not quite sure what she was laughing at. "After Hue goes to Stala's house for a while, I'm gonna let him go to his own house, okay Mommy?" he asked.

Obviously confused as to the wording, Yula answered, "Of course, honey. You can definitely take him home after he's done, uh… mating." Then, before Sanjay could get a word in, she said, "Now… do you want to help me give Hue a bath again before Daddy gets home from work?"

Sanjay smiled and nodded. "Can we let him pick if he wants to wear his clothes after?" he asked, looking down at the Doctor.

Yula looked a bit confused by her son's unusual request, but decided to play along. "Sure, buddy. Now come on. Let's get him looking handsome for Daisy!" she said, getting up and scooping the Doctor up and once again hauling him down the hallway on her hip.

The Doctor sighed. Only another day or two of this and he'd be free, he thought, as he bumped along, straddling Yula's side.


	18. Exposed

The next chapter! I'm hoping to post every couple of days now... so you shouldn't have to wait too long between chapters from now on. Thanks to all my fantastic readers!

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**CHAPTER 18 - Heeled: Exposed**

"Hi! Come on in!" Henny greeted them at the door of her home. "Oh!" she said, her eyes landing on the Doctor, "He looks so cute!"

The Doctor, this time clad in his pants, shirt _and_ trousers, thanks to Sanjay, entered the house holding the boy's hand, with his leash only loosely gripped in one of the boy's other hands. He looked around the legs of the Danarians to see if he could spot Rose anywhere, but she must've been elsewhere in the house.

"Yeah, Sanjay wanted to let Hue decide if he wanted to wear his clothes or not… looks like he wanted to!" Yula said, shaking her head.

After his bath, Sanjay had retrieved his clothes and put them on the floor of the bathroom. He'd wanted to kiss the boy, but thought better of it and simply whispered a thank-you in his ear when his mother wasn't looking.

"Anyway," Yula continued, "I'm sorry to hear about Rex. Odd that he just started that behaviour just out of the blue like that," she said conversationally as Henny lead them all into the living room.

"Well, you know… humans can be quite territorial," Henny grimaced, gesturing for her friend to sit. "I wonder if it just kind of sent him over the edge having Hue here," she said, shaking her head. Then, noticing the sorry look on her friend's face, she quickly amended, "Oh! I'm not upset at Hue or you guys or anything. We knew we wanted to breed humans… that's why we got them in the first place. And hey… if Rex wasn't able to get Daisy bedded, we're thrilled that Hue will likely get things moving," she said, patting her friend's leg.

The Doctor felt himself tense at the casual chat around having Rose 'bedded'. Like she was just some interesting lab experiment they wanted to try a new procedure on.

"Still… it's a shame you had to have him fixed. What if you could've bred him with another female?" Yula said, concerned.

"Well… we couldn't have him going around trying to shag people's legs all the time," Henny sighed. Anyway… it's probably for the best. Males tend to be a bit more docile when they're neutered, and he was really starting to get out of hand with Daisy anyway."

If he was tense before, the Doctor found himself practically vibrating with frustrated energy now. Gods… what else was he going to find out about Rose's stay here? It sounded like things had been quite a bit harder for her than she'd been making them out to be. Anxiety flowed through him freely now. He'd had it easy compared, it sounded like. He'd only had one short bout with possible death. Other than that, It'd been smooth sailing for him, really. Not that a brush with death was anything to be snarked at, but at least it was one brief event and then it was over. From what he understood, Rose had been dealing with ongoing unwanted advances and fear for her safety ever since she got here. If it weren't for these bloody lizards...

"But, at least we got some good news today," Henny said. "Daisy gets her cast off tomorrow, so she'll be good as new!"

"Oh, that's fantastic," Yula said, sounding truly pleased. "Poor thing… I'll bet she'll feel so much better without it on."

Yula's empathy for Rose's plight actually made him pause his internal rant about this planet being full of sadistic reptile bastards for a moment. As frustrated as the Doctor was over Rose's treatment in Stala's home, he had been equally impressed by Yula's positive treatment of him so far. He had to admit, of all the Danarians he'd met on this planet, other than Sanjay, she'd shown the most empathy for the humans she came into contact with. Maybe there was hope for this godsforsaken place yet.

"Yeah, she's pretty good about not digging into it to scratch, but it must be uncomfortable. We had to put the hand guards on her so she wouldn't hurt herself. We've been keeping her pretty medicated, though, so I think that's helped," she added. The Doctor hated that they seemed to be just drugging her indiscriminately, but at least he knew she wasn't in pain. But… handguards? He had a feeling he wasn't going to like the idea of those at all. "She usually falls asleep after we give them to her. She's actually napping right now. I'll go get her," she said, leaving the room.

The Doctor stood and followed Henny out of the room. "Oh look! He's following me!" Henny exclaimed back to to Yula.

Yeah, no shite. He was an absolute frickin' wonder of nature, the Doctor thought bitterly. It wasn't bloody rocket science, after all. His 'mate' was here and he wanted to see her. Surely humans on this planet exhibited such incredibly intelligent behaviour sometimes? Weeell...then again, apparently not, judging by Henny's delight in having him follow her around.

Finally, coming to what must've been the master bedroom, Henny ducked in and moved right to the bed. The Doctor's eyes must have lit up on seeing his precious girl again, as Henny was quick to comment, "Yes… she's here, Hue." Then, addressing Rose, she said, "Hi sweety! Come on… got a friend here for you." Rose had clearly been sleeping, as Henny had said, as she groggily rubbed her eyes with thickly mittened hands as her owner picked her up under her back and knees, cradling her against her chest. "It's Hue! Remember him?" she said in a voice that very annoying people use with their pets.

With that, Rose's eyes cleared and she actively looked around. Finally, her eyes finding his, a beaming smile lit her face which the Doctor returned with earnest intensity.

"C'mon, Hue," Henny called as she moved down the hall with Rose in her arms. As if he wouldn't follow anyway. Why did she think he was following her in the first place? For a quick tour of the mansion?

Rose tried to peek at him from around Henny's shoulder, but she was being jostled too much to allow for the Doctor to get a constant view. Finally, when they got back to the living room they found Stala, Diro and two of Henny and Gard's other children hanging out with Yula and Sanjay.

"Oh, there she is," one of the older girls said. "Can I put them in together?" she asked her mother.

What? They were going to try this already? Looking around the room, he spotted the large kennel that had previously been in their back room. Well…cup half full... at least it would give him and Rose some privacy to talk.

"What? No," Henny said, immediately understanding what her daughter was asking. "And none of you are watching. You hear? I told you… humans like privacy. They won't mate otherwise. Now shoo!" she directed, gesturing at them all to vacate the living room.

The sound of various 'Awww'-s and 'No fair'-s were heard from all as they all reluctantly filed out.

"Honestly! I have to admit… if Sontarans weren't so ornery, I'd have adopted one… they just clone… and they're not shy about it. At least that way the kids could see procreation in action and I wouldn't have to listen to them whine!"

Yula laughed. "Yeah, but try to _train_ a Sontaran. I've heard horror stories!" she said, shaking her head.

The Doctor could only imagine. He'd had a number of run ins with that lot and couldn't imagine trying to make any of them do anything they didn't want to. He'd had to insist on it a few times, and it hadn't been easy, by any stretch.

Henny sat Rose down on the pet bed and then knelt in front of her. There wasn't room for the Doctor to move in closer yet, so he hovered behind the Danarian, waiting until she got out the way.

"Okay, sweetie… arms up!" Henny said. The Doctor could hear Rose shuffling on the bed. "Daisy! Stay still!" Henny admonished, obviously having difficulty with something. More shuffling could be heard as Henny was clearly wrestling with her pet. The Doctor could feel himself tensing. He didn't think this female would hurt Rose… she seemed to care about her… but something was going on Rose wasn't cooperating with, and he knew she wouldn't put up a fight for no reason. The Doctor prowled behind the big Danarian trying to see what was going on, but it was no use. Finally, a squeak issued from Rose and Henny let out a relieved sigh. "Whew! _Really_, Daisy! I promise you can have it back after," she said, before turning to notice the Doctor anxiously pacing behind her. "Oh… don't worry, Hue, she's right here," the female said, scooting out of the way to let him by.

Eagerly moving in, the Doctor all but pushed her aside so he could lay eyes on Rose and make sure she was alright.

And lay eyes on Rose he did. A _lot_ of Rose. The Doctor's mouth went dry.

Sitting on the pet bed, her casted leg splayed out in front of her, Rose blushed furiously, trying to cover her bare breasts with her crossed arms. Henny had been kind enough to remove her mittens and to leave her with her knickers on, at least.

"C'mon Hue," he heard Yula call from behind him. That's when he realized he was standing there, staring at Rose with his mouth slightly agape, looking all the world like a drooling perv. Tearing his eyes away from Rose, he turned to see Yula patting her leg. "C'mon, boy," she repeated.

Deciding that Rose's dignity would be better spared with him at a distance, he did as he was told and went to stand by Yula who was sitting on a long, stone 'couch'. "Good boy," she said, looking at him affectionately. Then, repeating the instructions her friend had given Rose, she said, "Arms up!" and reached for the hem of the Doctor's t-shirt.

Of course. What did he _think_ was going to happen? That Rose would be made to strip near naked and they'd leave him in all his kit? He sighed. Well… the least he could do was show solidarity with Rose and not make a big deal of it. If she had to endure it, he was big enough to show her she wasn't the only one embarrassed in this scenario. Lifting his arms, he allowed Yula to pull his shirt over his head. Turning around then, he flashed a brilliant smile and shrugged his shoulders at Rose who allowed herself a grin back at him. He started walking back toward her when he was caught by Yula grabbing the back of his trousers. "Hold on, buddy," she laughed, before yanking his trousers down his legs. His pants nearly went with them, but luckily the Doctor caught them and pulled them back up just before the full monty had been revealed for his pink and yellow girl's viewing pleasure.

A heavy blush creeped onto his face, even as Rose's smile widened. He thought he heard a little laugh escape her. Well, at least it took her mind off her lack of coverage, he thought, even if it was at the expense of his ever dwindling pride.

"There you go," Yula said, patting his head.

In front of him, Henny was picking up Rose carefully and moving to the kennel. "Alright, sweetie. Now you and Hue make nice, okay?" she cooed, gently sitting Rose at the front of the kennel.

The Doctor scowled. _Make nice?_ Shag like rabbits, you mean? Frustration bubbled within him.

Once released, Rose scooted further in and to the back. Obviously embarrassed by the uncomfortable circumstances, she now studiously avoided the Doctor's gaze. Soon they would be holed up in this cage together… probably for hours, with neither of them wearing much, and Rose at a distinct disadvantage, given that at least all the Doctor's private bits were currently at least lightly covered.

Well, he wasn't going to make this any more uncomfortable than necessary for her. Looking around, he spotted a throw blanket on the log chair by the window. Trotting over, he took it up and moved to the kennel with it. Bending down to climb in, he was about to pass it to Rose when Henny snatched it out of his hand.

"Oh no, you don't!" she chastised, further pushing him into the cage even as she pulled the blanket out. The Doctor lost his footing as she nudged him forward and he fell against the luckily cushioned floor of the kennel. The door of the kennel closed behind him and he heard the lock being armed.

"Doctor!" he heard Rose exclaim as he landed. He felt her soft hands on his shoulders as he tried to turn away from her to sit up. If they wouldn't let him cover her up, he wasn't going to demean her by staring, either. Glaring out of the cage bars, his gaze rested on Henny.

Finally Yula spoke. "Wow… I think Hue isn't impressed," she said, eyeing him warily. "Maybe we should give him the blanket. I couldn't hurt," she suggested.

"They say if they cover up with blankets they're less likely to mate. Something about the males being aroused by the female's mammary glands," Henny said authoritatively. The Doctor could feel Rose tense up beside him. "Besides, he'll get over it. Human's have a pretty short attention span. As soon as we cover the kennel he'll forget all about it," she assured her friend.

Oh, he wouldn't forget, he silently promised her. In fact, he had half a mind to cage her and some strange Danarian together when this was all over and see how she would fare under similar circumstances. He continued to glare at her as she gathered a large blanket and draped it over the kennel, until she was completely out of view.

Sitting back from the bars, he continued staring at the offending metal slats, as if somehow, if he looked at them long enough, they would weaken through the sheer force of his will. From the other side of the bars he heard, "Should we go?" Yula's voice.

"We don't have to," Henny assured her. "As long as they're covered, that's usually enough privacy for humans. We could go in the kitchen though and have a cuppa, if you'd like?"

"That would be lovely," Yula answered.

"Sure! I got this amazing flower jupa from the market in Drawlig last week…" the Doctor heard before her voice started fading. They were gone.

A few minutes passed before either of them spoke. Finally, Rose broke the uncomfortable silence. "Doctor… you can't stare at the bars all night."

Clearing his throat a bit, he said softly, "Rose… you shouldn't worry about me… I'm fine. We can just, maybe, talk like this, yeah?" he suggested.

"Okay," she said, sounding almost thankful. They were silent for another moment before she said, lightly, "I, uh, talked with Stala today some more. She's having a hard time understanding why I might not want to stay here. How are you making out with Sanjay?"

The Doctor nodded, still facing the bars. "Remarkably well, actually," he shared. "I think he'll be able to help us. He said he wants to, anyway. He's really a pretty amazing kid," the Doctor said fondly.

"You like him, don't you," she asked, a smile in her voice.

The Doctor nodded once again. "Yeah… you know, kids are always the smartest of the lot. Unhindered by politics and social mores. They are usually the first to see reason in any situation," he shared.

"Yeah," Rose's voice said softly behind him. "Stala is a great kid. A bit like me when I was little, actually. A bit brazen. Speaks her mind. Doesn't take no for an answer," she said.

"Probably wanders off too," he smiled. "Henny probably has to keep _her_ on a leash when they go out."

"Oi!" Rose laughed and cuffed him on the shoulder. "What are you sayin'?!"

"I'm saying, Rose Tyler, that _you_ are a trouble magnet!" he said in mock seriousness. "I mean… look at you! A couple weeks out of my sight and here you are, all covered in plaster and not much else!" he grinned at the bars.

Rose laughed despite herself. "Hey! I don't see you wearing much more than me, right now, Time Lord. So shut it!" she warned.

Another moment went by, but the silence was decidedly less awkward.

"Doctor… this is kind of silly, yeah? I mean… you're _my Doctor_, but you've also been my 'doctor'... you know… physician. Not like you haven't seen a fair bit of me already. I mean… you haven't seen, um, these specific bits before, but… well," she sighed. "Oh! I have an idea," she said before the Doctor heard shuffling behind him.

"Okay," he heard Rose finally say. "You can look."

Tentatively he turned around to find Rose sprawled out on her belly on the floor of the cage. As much as she probably figured this position was likely the most innocuous, the Doctor found himself speechless. Lying on her front, her arms up and folded under her chin, the Doctor took in the expanse of her lily white skin on her toned back and legs. Her hair formed a golden halo around her head and spilled onto the curves of her shoulders. The sides of her breasts spilled into view as they pressed into the soft padded floor of the kennel.

The Doctor's interest in her made itself clearly known as the front of his pants became ever more constricting. Anxious to make sure she didn't notice, he quickly laid himself prostrate as well, subtly adjusting himself against the soft flooring before turning his face toward hers.

She was smiling one of her brilliant smiles… the ones he always felt were just for him. The ones that made the insides of his stomach dance. He grinned goofily back, completely unaware how completely besotted he looked.

"So… I was thinking… I get my cast off tomorrow," Rose broached. "Maybe when Sanjay comes back to visit, we can get him and Stala to bring us out in the yard and we can both make a run for it?"

The Doctor winced. He didn't want to be away from her. Not for a minute. But her leg would be weak and he was worried the trek would offer it's own challenges for him, let alone for someone with an injury.

"What? Doctor… I don't want to stay here by myself. I want to come with you. I can do it," she assured him.

"Rose…" he started.

"Doctor, please don't make me stay here. I… I can't be without you anymore," she admitted, her voice small.

The Doctor's hearts broke. Rose had been through so much already. Running off leaving her wondering if he was okay was just another thing she'd have to endure if he left her here. On the other hand, if she came with him…

"Please…" she entreated.

Gods. How could he deny her anything? "Yeah, alright," he finally relented, "we'll do this together," he said, turning on his side and moving his hand up to cup her cheek.

"Good. Together," she smiled and visibly relaxed, closing her eyes and leaning her face into his palm. Her cheek was so warm against his slightly cooler skin, and once again he marvelled that he was allowed to even be in the presence of something so beautiful.

Obviously enjoying his touch, Rose scooted a bit closer to him, still careful to keep from sharing _too_ much of herself with him at this point in their evolving relationship. She let out a little 'Mmmm' sound as she leaned further into his hand. "Feels good," she said, her voice warm. "Your hand is soft," she shared.

The Doctor swallowed, watching her enjoy his touch. It was enough to remind him he should probably stop touching her and roll back onto his stomach if this was to remain chaste. Reluctantly, he pulled his hand away and did just that, though it took all his willpower to do so. He gave himself a little pat on the back for this one small triumph over his body in its war against his rational mind. It was a hallow victory though, he thought longingly, as he watched her once again rest her cheek on her arm, wishing it was his chest she was lying on instead.

Then, maybe sensing his inner turmoil, she offered, "So… tell me about… the best place in the universe for bird watching," Rose said lightly, probably in an effort to distract them.

The Doctor blinked at the seeming randomness of the topic. "Uh… bird watching?" he said, shaking his head a bit. "Ummm, well… there's Druib. It's a class four planet in the Playdia system. It holds the record for the highest number of different bird species on one planet. Biggest variation in sizes as well. The smallest is barely visible to the naked eye… well, human eyes at least… and the largest… well, it's probably the size of a football pitch. Ran into one once while skinny dipping. It seems the fish on the planet are about the same colour as a pasty white Time Lord. I wouldn't recommend skinny dipping on Druib for that very reason," he shared, shivering with the memory.

Rose giggled. "I can just see you scampering across a field starkers with a giant bird thinking you're lunch. Bet he was surprised when his sushi jumped out of the water and started running!" she laughed.

The Doctor chuckled. "Yeah, I imagine he was," he mused.

They chatted for a while about various topics, most of them light and meant to distract from the elephant… or rather, mammary glands… in the room. About forty-five minutes had gone by before they heard Henny and Yula approaching the living room. They'd been chatting in the hall, the Doctor could hear, but stopped before they reached the entrance. The Doctor motioned for Rose to be quiet as they approached. Finally, Henny pulled up the corner of the blanket that was covering the kennel. The Doctor watched her face fall as she took in their pets, both lying on their fronts with their chins resting on their arms.

"Oh, for heaven's sake," she sighed. "Yula, look at this," she said, calling her friend over. A moment later Yula's face popped into view.

"What are they doing?" she asked, her brow furrowing.

"Nothing. Just… lying there," Henny said, confused. "Hmmm. I thought they liked each other," she frowned.

"Maybe… do humans prefer mating at night or something?" Yula suggested. "I mean, last night they seemed quite close to… you know," she said.

Henny seemed to consider this. "Maybe. I'm not sure. My family mated a pair when I was a kid, and I honestly don't recall. Well… let's get them out of there for a bit and feed them. Maybe they're just hungry or something," Henny said, releasing the lock and opening the door.

"C'mon, Daisy," she said, patting her leg. The Doctor heard Rose's breath catch. Understanding her reticence about climbing around him nearly naked, the Doctor got onto all fours and began crawling toward the door of the cage.

"Not you, Hue," Henny said, shooing him back with her hand, so that he had to back up again. "C'mon Daisy. Come here, girl!" she said, patting her leg again.

Seeing as how Henny wasn't likely to relent about her pet following orders, the Doctor turned himself away to face the other direction so Rose could extricate herself from the kennel without him ogling her.

"Thanks," she whispered, as he heard her carefully clamber onto her hands and knees to exit the cage. It took her a bit of time, as she was being extra careful not to bang her leg against the walls or the kennel door. The Doctor did his best not to give in to his mind's desire to picture her on all fours, her breasts swaying slightly as her body moved to settle over him…

No! For Gods' sake. He was trying to save her some dignity, not recreate a personal fantasy with newly acquired visuals of her perfect skin and swell of breasts.

Finally, with Rose having exited with at least a modicum of modesty, the Doctor crawled out of the cage as well, careful not to search for her right away on exiting in case she hadn't yet had time to cover herself.

"Yula… don't feel like to you have to stay. I can get these two settled in for the night after they eat. It's no problem," she said as the Doctor finally allowed himself to look for Rose. She was once again on the pet bed with her arms crossed in an attempt to hide a bit of herself from view.

"Are you sure, Henny? We can stay for a bit longer," Yula offered, though she was obviously ready to admit defeat for the day.

"Really. No problem. I'm just going to feed them, then maybe I'll give them a bath of something.

Rose and the Doctor's eyes both popped open wide at Henny's casual announcement. The Doctor wanted to scream in frustration. They'd just managed to get through a tense afternoon of major... breast avoidance... and now they wanted to throw them in a _bath_ together?! Rassilon's robes… this was all some sort of sick, cosmic joke, but he wasn't laughing. Not at all. And judging by the look on Rose's face, she was feeling even less mirth about it than he was. Could this day _get_ any more taxing on his already strained libido? He shivered. He had a feeling it could.


	19. Supported

This ended up being quite an angsty chapter, but I don't apologize! The poor Doctor takes a bit of a wallop in the humiliation department in this one... but what can I say? It had to happen.

Enjoy!

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**CHAPTER 19 - Heeled: Supported**

With Yula and Sanjay having left, the Doctor was led to the back room where he and Rose would presumably be fed. The Doctor had thought of offering to carry Rose, but quickly realized that would probably be a bad idea, for obvious reasons. He'd looked around the living room after exiting the kennel to see if he could spot her t-shirt anywhere, but Henny must've hidden it somewhere because it was nowhere to be seen. When Henny scooped Rose up, therefore, he hadn't protested, but merely followed behind the massive reptile.

Now, with the 'mating' supposedly having been put off for the time being, the kids were allowed back in to visit and were taking the opportunity to stand around and watch their pet and this new human eat and interact.

Taking a moment to study the various members of the group surrounding them, the Doctor figured that there were seven in the family altogether. It looked like Stala was the second youngest of the lot, with only a baby being younger than she… he wasn't sure if said baby was a male or female. Another female, slightly taller than Stala, was likely the next oldest, with Diro being older than her. Finally, the oldest appeared to the tall girl leaning against the side of the closet door, probably around fifteen or sixteen-ish in human years.

"Where's Daisy's shirt?" the oldest girl asked, looking down skeptically at the two pets.

"I put it in Stala's room," Henny answered, pouring pet food into a couple of bowls in the corner of the small room.

"Why? She looks so cute in it," Stala's other sister stated.

"All the books say the female shouldn't be wearing much if you're trying to mate them," Henny answered, bringing out two brimming metal bowls and placing them in front of Rose and the Doctor on the floor.

"Is that why she didn't have her shirt on last week with Rex?" the same girl asked.

Rose startled and shot the Doctor a quick look. He stared at her for a moment, clearly searching for a sign that what they'd said was untrue. She didn't give him one. She'd obviously hoped he wouldn't have to find out about that particular detail of her time here. The Doctor felt himself tense up all over again. Damn these bloody creatures! They clearly had no qualms or guilt about throwing young girls in with different men every other week in the hopes they'd shag them and leave them up the duff. The thought of Rose in that small kennel, fending off that chimp was bad enough. Now he knew she had also been trying to keep herself covered during it all!

"That's right, honey," Henny answered her daughter, completely unaware of the angst she had just put these pets through.

"Well… why do they wear anything at all?" the oldest girl asked. "I mean… I know if Reed was at school wearing nothing at all, I'd probably jump him no matter _where_ he was or _who_ was watching," she grinned cheekily.

A little gasp of horror escaped Rose with the girl's suggestion. The Doctor's reaction was much the same.

"Julla!" Henny exclaimed, admonishing her obviously hormonal teenaged daughter.

"Well, I _would_!" Julla challenged, clearly aiming to rattle her mother.

"Really, Julla? In front of your sisters? Now that's enough," her mother frowned, calling her oldest daughter's attention to her younger siblings.

The Doctor released a sigh of relief that Henny had seemingly dismissed her daughter's idea as rubbish. The last thing he needed was to be holed in a cage with a _completely_ naked Rose Tyler. A half-clad Rose made it hard enough. Literally.

The family continued their chatter while watching Rose and the Doctor attempt to eat. This family apparently believed in the 'soft food' diet, and offered a blob of wet, meaty gruel by way of a meal. Rose gave him a sideways look of apology for the offerings before tentatively reaching into the bowl with one hand while covering herself with her other.

Following her lead, the Doctor dipped his fingers into the muck and brought some to his nose to sniff. Smelled like cooked meat. Sticking his tongue out, he tentatively touched his tongue tip to the cool wet mess on his fingers. The consistency reminded him of canned tuna, and it tasted something like… no surprise… chicken. Chicken with a hint of brussel sprouts and something… earthy. There was no doubt he'd tasted worse, but this definitely wasn't high on his 'must buy' list.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Rose tucking in. He immediately felt guilty for turning his nose up at the meal. It was clear that this was all Rose had probably had to eat since she'd gotten here. He should really be thankful he'd managed to avoid this sort of thing up until now. Dampening his olfactory receptors, he opened up and shoved his fingers into his mouth. If he didn't breathe while eating it wasn't horrid. He once again thanked the Gods for his respiratory bypass.

Rose moved to the corner where a bowl of water sat, looking stagnant and unappealing. The family obviously hadn't changed it today, or possibly even in the last couple of days, as even from here he could see something floating on the surface of it. _His_ family had at least had a sort of hanging contraption that released water when a button was pressed. Much more sanitary.

He cringed, watching Rose lift the bowl with both hands after scooping out the floating debris. Bringing it to her mouth, she tipped it and swallowed. The Doctor watched as some of the water trickled around her lips to roll off her cheeks and onto her bare… ohmygod. He was staring. _Staring_. Water glistened on her breasts as she continued drinking, her eyes closed. If the Doctor hadn't just swallowed what was in his mouth, he would've choked. As it was, he was proud he hadn't actually started actively drooling, as his jaw was hanging slack on it's hinges.

Suddenly Rose pulled the bowl back and opened her eyes. The Doctor immediately dropped his gaze, ashamed he'd completely succumbed to his bloody libido, yet again. He cursed the thin pants he'd been made to wear, as there was no doubt his girl would know he'd been looking if she happened to glance in the direction of his flimsy shorts.

Thankfully, it seemed she had much more self control than he did, as she didn't drop her gaze to his rather obvious erection. Unfortunately, however, to his complete mortification, it hadn't escaped the notice of one of the kids.

"Oh my Kila!" the Julla exclaimed loudly. "He's got a boner, Mom! Look!" she said, pointing at the Doctor's now distinctly not private parts. "Ha! Look at that!"

The Doctor, more embarrassed than he ever remembered being in all his lives, flushed, even as his embarrassment turned to anger. Darting a look at Rose, his anger immediately withered into shame. She was looking at him… and her eyes held sadness, and worse… pity.

Pure and utter humiliation filled him. No. Worse than that. Anguish. Anguish filled him. Anquish for the complete annihilation of his already shrivelled pride. Willing himself to walk rather than run, he turned and left the room, the kids laughter following him and echoing down the hall. He heard Rose call him, but he didn't turn or stop. Everything in him told him to get away. To run.

Once out of eye shot, he did just that, sprinting down the corridor until he came to a bedroom on his left. With not nearly enough room in this house to get the distance he craved, he ducked into the dark space and sought out a corner… somewhere he could be unnoticed for a while. A couple piles of clean clothing were stacked to his right and he moved one slightly to wedge himself between them before sitting down and pulling his knees up close to his body.

Thoughts of Rose's expression floated before his eyes. Yup. The mighty Time Lord. WIth a boner. Budda, Jesus and Kila… it had come to _this_. He sat in the dark room for a few minutes, just listening to the noises in the house and wishing he could've just kept running. It's what he did best, after all. When something was uncomfortable, he ran. Hardly able to do that now, was he? Hardly able to do _anything_ useful right now, he thought miserably. Couldn't even manage a simple hormonal fluctuation. Anger bubbled through him. Cursed bloody hormones. Rubbish! Rose was, of course, _gorgeous_, but it wasn't like he hadn't been tempted before. He'd travelled with loads of beautiful women, and there were times when, despite the clearly chaste nature of the friendships, he'd not been unappreciative of their forms. But he'd always managed to keep himself in control. Mind you… he'd never kissed them. Any of them. Not like _that_. And none of them...none of them... were Rose Marion Tyler. None of them had come anywhere near as close to his hearts as she had. He sighed, dropping his head into his hands. He had worried before that she might turn out to be the death of him. Now he was truly beginning to wonder if it wasn't an exaggeration.

"Doctor?"

Rose. While there were very few times since he'd met her that he didn't want to be with her, this was one of them. He very much did not want to see Rose right now. He wasn't ready to put on a brave face and brush off what had happened. He was still raw from embarrassment and shame.

"Doctor?" Rose called out again. This time her voice was closer.

He stayed silent, hoping she'd give up and let him wallow in his self-pity.

"You don't have to come out if you don't want to," her voice drifted in from the hallway. "But I'm gonna rest here for a bit, if you don't mind. Bloody leg," she said, before falling silent.

Allowing the noises of the house to once again reign supreme, neither of them said anything for a few minutes.

"I think I may take up nude sunbathing the next time we're somewhere hot," she said conversationally. "Or at least topless sunbathing," she amended. "There's something to be said for letting the girls out for air," she said, her voice wistful.

The Doctor felt smile creep onto his lips despite himself at this last pronouncement.

"Think I'd prefer it sans mittens next time though. Have to say… these puppies are attractive, but thumbless mittens really aren't all that practical," she said matter-of-factly.

The Doctor pictured her, now probably still shirtless but sporting bright red thumbless mitts and pink boxers. He smirked. Even in such a ridiculous get up she probably still looked incredible.

"The, uh, the kids are gone now. Julla and Diro have gone out with friends and the little ones are off to bed. I kind of doubt Henny will follow through with the bath threat," she said reassuringly. "She likes to threaten everyone in the house with a good scrubbing when she can't think of what else to do with them," she said.

The Doctor let his shoulders slump, allowing tension to ebb out of them a bit. At least he probably wouldn't have to worry about _that_ particular indignity tonight.

Rose fell silent for a while. The Doctor was considering saying something when the time seemed to stretch beyond reasonable, but then she said, "I'm sorry… about what happened."

The Doctor's hearts stopped and the tension he'd allowed to drop away once again grew to nearly suffocate him.

"I… I know I've never told you this…but I truly can't think of a more fitting time, so heregoes," she said, letting out a deep breath. "So… I was at the pool with my mate Shareen. We were, oh, about fifteen or sixteen years old and she thought it'd be a laugh if we went, cause her brother and his friends were going and she fancied one of them. Anyway… so Shareen had talked me into wearing this bikini she'd made me buy, but I'd never gotten up the courage to wear, 'cause it was… you know… _skimpy_. But she was gonna wear hers, and she whined that she'd didn't want to be the only one in a bikini, and could I please, _pleeeeaase_ wear it? So I gave in, 'cause Shareen always got her way. Anyway... we got to the pool and Shareen's brother was there with his friends, and one of them was this bloke who I'd been flirting with for ages. All dark hair and macho," she said, thoughtfully. "Reminds me a bit of you, actually," she said, pausing.

The Doctor smiled. She thought he was macho.

"And yes… you _are_ a bit macho," he heard her grinning, obviously having read his mind. "Anyway… I thought I'd show off a bit, seeing as how 'Kyle' was watchin' me an' everything. So I climbed up on the diving board and did this flip I'd been practicing since forever. I broke the water perfectly and was pretty proud of myself, but when I popped out of the water, my bikini top didn't… the top strap had come undone and my boobs were just… there," she said, pausing. The Doctor imagined her miming 'boobs out to here'.

"Of course, the blokes all saw right away, but it took me a moment to realize what everyone was staring at," he could almost hear her shaking her head. "I was… mortified. I ducked down in the water right away, of course, but by then it felt like the entire pool had seen. And of course _Kyle_ had seen me in all my 'B' cup glory."

She paused then, maybe remembering. "Anyway… my point is, I wanted to just curl up and die somewhere. I didn't think I could face anyone ever again, least of all Kyle," she shared. "I inevitably ran into him again, of course. He went to the same school as me, after all, but I'd managed to avoid him for a full week before we ran into each other in the hall. I remember just… _withering_ at that moment. I was _so_ embarrassed. He was actually really decent though, and didn't make me feel uncomfortable about it. He just went on like nothing happened. We joked about it later… much later… but he was really a sport about it," she said. "I guess I'm trying to say… I hid away for a week from the person I wanted to be with most. I had played and replayed horrid scenarios of him ignoring me out of embarrassment or outright laughing at me with his mates. And at the end of it, he'd just felt badly that I'd had to go through that. If I'd have just faced him right away, I could've had days just enjoying his company, but instead I wasted time worrying," she said.

Her point was made, and it hung there in front of him just waiting for him to acknowledge it. A moment went by before his brave girl filled the silence yet again. "Anyway… I just thought maybe if you knew I'd gone through something similar once… well, it's nice to know you're not the only one who's ever felt this way," she said.

Another wave of shame passed through him. Here she was… basically reliving a version of a previous nightmare, and all he could think of was himself. Another moment of silence passed. "So listen, I'll always be here...if you wanna talk, alright?"

The soft shuffle of her moving in the hallway met his ears. Was she leaving?

"Rose?" the Doctor's voice said before he'd even realized he'd spoken.

"Yeah?" her soft voice answered.

Gathering all usually considerable courage, the Doctor inched out of his hidey-hole and moved to the door of the room. Rose sat on the floor across the hall, her casted leg sprawled in front of her and her large mittened hands covering her front like two big red pasties. He couldn't help it when a smile quirked up a corner of his mouth at the honestly adorable sight.

"And really, Doctor," she said, as if continuing her one-sided conversation, "who should really be embarrassed right now? You… a normal, red… or orange blooded bloke… or me, a pasty white girl with red clown mitts, pink baggy knickers and a paper bag cast? Hmmm?" she said, grinning at him, with a tongue touched smile.

His hearts stuttered… his previous thoughts once again plaguing him. But at least she was smiling… putting on a brave face. "Rose Tyler," he said, crawling out into the hall beside her, "you're incredible," he said, trying to sound lighthearted, but managing only to sound earnest.

"Yeah, I am, aren't I?" she laughed.

"Yeah," he agreed. "You really are," he smiled softly. Momentarily forgetting her rather compromised state, the Doctor moved in and wrapped his arms around her in a tight embrace. Rose, probably out of sheer reaction, wrapped her arms around him as well, hugging him fiercely back, obviously distracted from her toplessness for a moment. It was a split second before she obviously realized what she'd done and it was a millisecond after that that the Doctor came to the same conclusion and immediately tensed up. Rose did the same. The Doctor, now very, _very_ aware of where she pressed into him, tried to pull away, but Rose held him fast, pulling him back against her.

"Please…" she whispered, "… could you just hold me? For a minute?"

The Doctor stopped, still tense, but didn't pull away any further. Then, deciding that if she was big enough to rise above this uncomfortable situation, surely he could do the same. Reaching around her again, he curled his arms to encircle her even tighter than he had before and nestled his nose into her shoulder. Closing his eyes, he breathed her in, cataloguing all the glorious chemicals and pheramones that made up her scent. He willed himself to ignore how very topless she was and how very tempting she was… always was, topless of not... and sunk into her, revelling in her warmth.

Her soft skin radiated so much heat compared to his… he couldn't help but marvel once again at how humans could live in such delicate, sensitive bodies. There was something to be said for sensitive, though, he thought, as he felt her fingers splay across his back and her arms tighten to pull him even closer. She was holding him as if he was some sort of lifeline, he realized. She had been so strong for him just now, his wonderful girl, and he'd let her. But she needed support too… and he could give it to her. He _would_ give it to her. She deserved so much more than that, but being in their current position, he couldn't give her all she deserved. What he _could_ give her, however, was at least some strength. Because that's what she alway gave him, just by being. Strength.

Finally, pulling back to lean her forehead against his, she said, "I'm sorry they hurt you."

Looking down into her serious, caring eyes, he considered what to say… how to thank her and let her know how much he appreciated her… her support, her friendship...everything about her. Once again at a woeful loss, he decided against using words at all, and dipped his head to press his lips to hers.


	20. Overexposed

A quick note to thank-you all again for reading and reviewing. Your response to this story has been overwhelming and I'm honestly honoured!

Sooooo... Just when you thought it couldn't get much more frustrating for our heroes, THIS happens...

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**CHAPTER 20 - Heeled: Overexposed**

_She was holding him as if he was some sort of lifeline, he realized. She had been so strong for him just now, his wonderful girl, and he'd let her. But she needed support too… and he could give it to her. He _would_ give it to her. She deserved so much more than that, but being in their current position, he couldn't give her all she deserved. What he _could_ give her, however, was at least some strength. Because that's what she always gave him, just by being. Strength. _

_Finally, pulling back to lean her forehead against his, she said, "I'm sorry they hurt you."_

_Looking down into her serious, caring eyes, he considered what to say… how to thank her and let her know how much he appreciated her… her support, her friendship...everything about her. Once again at a woeful loss, he decided against using words at all, and dipped his head to press his lips to hers._

He meant it to be a brief, appreciative snog, but once again, with the floodgates open, he found himself becoming lost in the sensation of her lips against his. Rose, clearly also very affected by their shared affections, moaned appreciatively, creating a zing of desire that shot straight through his spine to pool in his groin. Knowing that if he didn't retreat now, there would be little chance of him being able to comfortably turn back, he gently released Rose's lips and once again nestled his nose in the crook of her neck, making every effort not to nibble the delicate skin there.

Rose's heart was racing… he could feel it against his chest… the thrum of her heart pounding through the hot skin pressed against his. "We should… uh, maybe go back to the living room, yeah?" she suggested, sounding a bit breathless.

Still nuzzling her shoulder, he hummed an affirmative, but neither of them actually moved. Instead they simply continued holding each other, allowing their breathing to slow. After another minute, the Doctor pulled back a bit. "Maybe we should just hide somewhere and they'll forget about us," he suggested hopefully.

"Doubtful," Rose said, giving him a rueful grin. "Once Henny gets something in her head, she's relentless. No… I think we're destined to spend the night in the kennel. But then, a night with you… that's not so bad," she said cheekily.

"Rose Tyler!" he said with mock offense. "What about my _honour_!"

Rose snorted.

Just then, Stala rounded the corner and stopped, surprised to find the humans in the hallway.

Rose and the Doctor pulled apart hastily, and Rose covered herself again with her mittened hands.

"Hi Daisy!" she said happily. "I forgotted to grind my teeth. Are you and Hue mating?" she asked blatantly, completely unaware of the usually private nature of such an enterprise.

"Uh, no, Stala. We're not mating," Rose answered, blushing.

"Oh. Okay. Well, Mommy wants you to. She said if you hurry, you could be a Mommy by Ristna Time," she shared. "She said that's still a long time from now, but I can be paytint."

Rose sighed. "Stala… do you remember how we talked about how humans want to do things for themselves?"

Stala nodded.

"Well… having a baby… a humini… is one of those things. The Do-... _Hue_ and I are, um, not _ready_ to have a baby together. And _we're_ the ones who should be able to decide when we want to have one. Do you understand?" she asked.

Stala thought for a moment. "Yeah, I guess. But you said you love Hue… so why don't you want to have a humini? Mommy said when grown-ups love each other, they can be married, and then they can mate and have a baby," she said matter-of-factly.

Rose stopped breathing. The Doctor darted his eyes toward her and saw her turn a bit white. "I, uh…" Rose said uncomfortably, "Well… Hue and I… we're not married," she said, managing to press on. "And, uh, … my Mom would be sad if I wasn't married before I had a baby," she said, finally.

"Oh," Stala said, thinking. "Then we could make you married!" Stala said, excited. "Then you guys could have a baby then, right?" she asked trying to work it all out.

The Doctor would've smiled at the way this little being had boiled down such a complicated social venture into something so simple, but he was currently still stuck on the little girl's pronouncement about Rose's feelings for him. He swallowed. She... she felt, uh… that strongly? His hearts fluttered and he swore small beings residing in his stomach actually took flight.

"Well… we _could_, but I would want my family and my friends to be there. And they can't be, 'cause they're so far away," she finished. The Doctor, now looking at Rose in a way that bordered on wonder, marvelled at how patient and supportive she was of this little girl's ideas. He sighed. She would be wonderful with kids. Someday. Then his rational mind realized he'd perhaps skipped ahead just a wee bit. She'd maybe told Stala that she… felt _that way_ about him, but it's not like she'd just declared her intentions to spend her life with him and bear his children! Besides… maybe she wouldn't _want_ children. Did _he_ even want anymore children? He frowned. Rose would be a wonderful mother. Look at her. All pink and yellow and… motherly. But even if he _did_ want to be a Dad again, what if he couldn't give her any? He hadn't checked, mostly because he'd never, uh… done that with a human… but he wasn't honestly sure if he was even fertile… that way. Gallifreyans procreated using looms, not by natural means. Were his people even able to reproduce _that way_? Gods… if Rose was telepathic he'd be desperately embarrassed being caught out having this ridiculous internal dialogue. Luckily, though, his mental musings had been all in his own rather substantial mind, and Rose hadn't been privy to his daydreams about her bearing his children. Child. Someday. Or not.

Apparently Rose and Stala's conversation had continued while he'd been otherwise mentally occupied, because the next comment he caught from Stala was, "Sanjay is coming back tomorrow, you know. He's my boyfriend," she shared. "I'm going to marry him when I grow up," she added.

Rose smiled. "I'm sure you will. Maybe Hue and I could come visit you for your wedding," she suggested, making another plug for freedom. "We would, you know. If you and Sanjay got married, we would come visit you for your wedding," Rose suggested.

Stala frowned. "I don't want you to go," she said, looking a bit sad.

Rose sighed. "Remember… we talked about this, Stala. Hue and I can't stay here forever. We need to be free… we have our own home. And I miss my Mom," she reminded her, obviously using the same tactics he had with Sanjay.

"I know," Stala said reluctantly. "I just wish you could have your home here so I wouldn't have to miss you," she said, honestly.

Rose smiled. "Hey… I promised we'd visit, yeah? You'll see me again, I promise," she said, smiling. "Who's my favourite Danarian?"

"Me," Stala said, reluctantly smiling.

"That's right," Rose agreed, her affection for the young reptile shining in her eyes.

"So, Stala," the Doctor said, gently inserting himself into the conversation, "Ro-... Daisy and I were hoping that, uh, maybe tomorrow...you and Sanjay could help us so I can take Daisy to see her Mom."

"Okay," Stala said resignedly. Then her eyes lit up. "Hey! Can I come? Me and Sanjay could come and we can see your Mom too!" she said, as if this was the most brilliant idea ever conceived.

She obviously hadn't met Rose's mother, the Doctor mused. "Weelll, I'm not sure _your_ Mom would like it if you came with us," he said, tugging his ear. "Wouldn't she be worried?"

"Nope!" Stala said assuredly. "She let me even go to Ruga's house by myself and that's all the way down the street," she said confidently.

"Well, my Mom is a lot further away than that, even," Rose said. "And I would hate for your mother to worry about you. But…" she said, glancing at the Doctor, "maybe when you're older you could come with us for a ride in our spaceship if you want," she suggested.

The Doctor nodded his agreement and added, "Sanjay could come too… we could take you to see some other planets where humans are free… where they all have their own places to live and have their own families. You'd be amazed," he said, grinning.

Stala smiled broadly. "Okay!" she said happily.

"So… tomorrow you'll help us?" the Doctor said, making sure Stala was on board.

"Okay," the little lizard smiled, sticking her tongue between her sharp little teeth.

The Doctor grinned. He couldn't _imagine_ where she'd picked _that_ up.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

After Stala scooted off to grind her teeth, the Doctor told Rose to stay put while he went to search Stala's room for her t-shirt. Finally, finding it on top of a bookcase, he scooped it up and return to his casted girl in the hallway, only to find that she'd wandered off.

He sighed. No surprise there. What was _with_ this particular human and her inability to stay put? Well, it's not like she could've gotten that far, with her leg hobbled such as it was.

"Rose!" he said in a stage whisper. The hall remained silent. Wandering down the hall, he heard Henny muttering something from the living room. "Oh, for Kila's sake, Daisy! You're driving me mad today!" she said, obviously struggling with Rose over something. The last time he'd heard similar exclamations coming from her, the result was a very embarrassed Rose Tyler. His hearts picked up speed. What now?

"Whew! That's better," he heard Henny say. "C'mon… scoot…" she said, obviously encouraging Rose to go somewhere.

Rounding the corner, the Doctor saw Henny closing the door of the kennel. It was covered with the blanket again, and since he didn't see Rose anywhere, he assumed she was already in it.

Fantastic. Looked like it was time to avoid shagging Rose Tyler again.

Turning to get up, Henny spotted him at the entranceway. "Oh, good," she said, obviously relieved she didn't have to go looking for him. The Doctor considered running and hiding, but only for a split second. It would hardly do to have Rose shut up in the kennel all night while he roamed the house. That… and, if he was honest, he really didn't want to be without her for that long.

"C'mere, Hue," she said, patting her leg.

Resigned, he walked up and stood beside her, waiting for her to get out of the way so he could enter the kennel. She didn't move though. Instead, she reached for his arm and pulled him closer to her. She smelled a bit like… dill… the Doctor noted as her breath breezed over him. Unsure what the point of this was, the Doctor stood still, waiting for her to do something. She was… studying him, as if she hadn't really had a good look at him before. "You _are_ pretty cute, aren't you? Such big eyes," she said, smiling at him. She ruffled his hair then. Gods, he hated that.

Then, to his complete surprise, she reached down and yanked his pants down his legs. A distinctly undignified yelp escaped him and his hands flew down to cover himself. Henny merely chuckled as she lifted his leg to pull the pants out from under his feet. "There," she said, looking at him, sounding satisfied.

_There?!_ That's all she had to say, was _there_?! _There_ WHAT? There… your manly bits are free?! There… your wanker can get some air?! For Rassilon's sake… he was standing in front of her completely starkers, and she looked for all the world like she was merely regarding a particularly intriguing flower arrangement.

"Alright then, Hue," she said, turning and opening the kennel door. "In you go," she directed putting her hand on his back and ushering him forward.

Ooooooh NO. Nuh-uh. He was NOT going in there. Then...to his horror... he realized there was no way he was the only one naked here. Oh Gods… there was a completely, _completely_ naked Rose in there. That's what the fuss had been about earlier.

Well if he wasn't going in there before, he _certainly_ wasn't going in there now. Rose was… he swallowed… she was tempting enough with her, uh… her top half uncovered. Gods…who was he kidding. Even her bare legs were enough to make him hard at the best of times… and now here she was… completely NOT clothed in there. Just behind the blanket. Right. There.

"C'mon, Hue," Henny encouraged when he'd resisted her attempt to nudge him forward. Actively pushing back against her hand now, he turned, ducked under her arm, and managed to scramble away from her and the cage.

"Hue! NO!" she admonished, reaching for him. He was now a couple of feet away from the massive lizard and was about to climb to his feet to make a run for it when her hand wrapped around his ankle.

"Oh, no you don't," she said, pulling him back. She yanked hard enough that his arms were pulled out from under him and his chin hit the sandy floor as he was dragged back, clacking his teeth together painfully. Circling her arm around him, she quickly draped him over her lap so he lay with his belly over her knee and his privates pressed against the side of her leg. Raising her hand into the air a good distance, she brought it down swiftly and smacked his arse. Hard. He yelped in surprise and not a bit of pain. He heard Rose cry out his name from the kennel.

"NO!" Henny reprimanded, delivering another severe open handed smack to his bottom. This time he bit back another yelp, not willing to admit how much the spanking actually hurt, despite it bringing stinging tears to his eyes.

"Now, get in there," Henny now directed, literally manhandling him into the kennel head first.

The Doctor landed in a tangle of limbs alongside Rose who quickly helped him right himself. Frustrated with his mangled attempt to save them both some dignity, he gently but firmly pulled away from her, turning pointedly to avoid accidentally catching an unintended eyeful.

Outside the kennel they heard Henny huff as she kneeled back on her heels. "Well.. if that's not enough to get you two mating, I don't know what is," she sighed. "Kila… I need a painkiller," she added, rubbing her temples. Slowly, she got up and pulled the blanket over so it also covered the front of the cage and then left the room, leaving her pets to 'do their thing'.

"Doctor… are you okay?" Rose asked, her fingers ghosting over his back. A shiver ran down his spine at her touch.

"Yeah," he lied, "I'm alright. Bit of a slap she's got on her," he admitted. "Rivals your mother's almost," he added, rubbing his arse.

Rose laughed softly, despite the situation, which he allowed himself to feel a bit bolstered by.

Gingerly sitting up, facing away from her, he tried to position himself to avoid direct pressure on his bottom, which still stung. Bloody abusive Danarian. Deep down, on a very base, primal level, he hoped that someday she'd find herself in a Grlocian slave mine suffering the same fate she'd just bestowed upon him. He knew he'd never _really_ wish that on anyone, even this frankly demonic female reptile. That didn't stop him from fantasizing, though.

Then a thought occurred to him. "Rose… has Henny ever hit you like that?"

Behind him, Rose sighed. He suspected he knew the answer already, but Rose said it out loud anyhow. "Once," she answered.

The Doctor closed his eyes in frustration. Gods. What _else_ had happened that she'd not told him about already? He was beginning to think that if one more horrific revelation about her time without him was discovered he was going to have to consider bringing Stala and Sanjay with them in the TARDIS so he could just outright destroy this miserable planet when they left it.

"It was right when I first was adopted," Rose said, oblivious to his markedly dark thoughts. "I thought I'd try to make a break for it the first time they took me out for a walk. I waited until I thought Stala wasn't holding too tightly onto the leash, and then I made to snatch it away from her and then run. I made it all of four feet before Henny caught me by the hair and bent me over her knee right there out in the yard," she shared, absently moving her hand to her bottom in memory. "I'm sorry you had to go through that," she said sadly.

"Rose… is that… is there anything else I should know? Anything else they've done to you since you got here that I don't know about?" he asked, trying to keep his anger from resonating in his voice.

Rose went quiet.

"I have to know, Rose...what else have they done to you?" he asked again, working on controlling his rising dread as to the content of the answer she might give him.

Rose sighed. "It's just… what difference does it make to talk about it? Doesn't change anything. And you've been through so much… you don't need to worry about stuff you can't change," she said, her voice breaking a bit.

This was ridiculous. The Doctor turned to face this incredibly brave human. She needed support… not his stupid insecurities about nudity. Resolutely putting their clothless state out of his mind, he touched her back as she faced away from him. "Rose… please…"

His touch and his soft plea seemed to be the last straw in her tumbling resolve to be strong for him. Turning her head to the side, but still not looking directly at him, her face crumpled and she began to sob, folding in on herself. The Doctor reached for her automatically, pulling her back against his front, hugging her fiercely, wrapping his arms around her own as sobs wracked her small frame. She cried like that for a long time, with the Doctor whispering things like, "It's okay," and "I'm here," as he held her. His hearts broke as she vented what was probably weeks of frustration, fear and helplessness. Finally, after many minutes of heartbreaking tears, she hiccuped her last shudders of sadness before slumping against him, curling herself into him and letting her head rest against his chest. He continued to hold her and gently started rocking her as her breathing steadied and the last of her tears fell.

"I'm...I'm sorry… I didn't want to...to do that," she whispered dejectedly.

"Rose… you've been nothing but strong through all this. Letting yourself _feel_ doesn't make you any less strong. It just means you're human. And you _are_ human, Rose. Brilliantly human. And I wouldn't have you any other way," he said gently.

Rose shuddered another breath out and relaxed further into him.

"We don't have to talk about it all now, Rose, if you don't want to. But I'd really like to know at some point… and you're going to have to talk about it, so you can really deal with it, alright?" he suggested.

Rose actually snickered a bit. "Are you actually giving advice about dealing with my feelings?" He thought he heard her smile.

"Oi! Are you saying I don't deal with my feelings?" he said with mock affront.

Rose snickered again. The Doctor smiled. He'd gladly make fun of his own emotional immaturity anyday if it meant he could cheer her up. He wished she only ever had need to smile… that she never had to experience anything ever again that made her feel any other way but happy.

He was pulled from his thoughts by a jaw cracking yawn issued into his chest.

"I think there's someone here who may need a wee kip," he suggested, stroking Rose's hair.

She shivered in response and then reluctantly pushed herself away from him. "Maybe for a few minutes," she agreed. The Doctor gallantly averted his eyes while she arranged herself to lie on her front like they had earlier. When he was satisfied she'd settled, he turned back and did the same while she extended him the same courtesy. While getting himself sorted, he did all he could to avoid letting his eyes sweep the gorgeous body beside him, but they apparently had other ideas and managed a quick peek despite his best intentions.

The room was now dark and despite there being some moonlight in the rest of the room, the blanket covering their kennel didn't let much ambient light in. For his own sake, he was thankful, because that meant Rose wouldn't be able to get a really good look at him, even if he mistakenly flashed her. He, on the other had, had no difficulty seeing in this level of light, and when his eyes settled on Rose's now still form, they managed to capture an image he would bring to bed with him for a very long time to come.

Rose was laid out, once again with her arms under her cheek. The soft expanse of her back was a beautiful as he'd noted earlier, but now the baggy pink pants didn't hinder his eyes from traversing further down to take in the dimples above the cleft of her bottom and the firm, rounded flesh of her arse. In his eyes, her skin shone in the dim light and, as she always did to him, she practically radiated raw and deeply attractive human energy.

Once again, he worked to tame his libido as he rested himself on his front and brought his arms up under his chin as Rose had done. Once he'd settled, Rose turned her head to so she was facing him. "Doctor… thank-you," she whispered, looking earnestly into his eyes.

The Doctor gazed back into her eyes for a moment before sliding himself closer to her on the padded floor and planting a soft kiss on her cheek. "You don't ever have to thank me, Rose. I'm honoured you'd trust me to be here for you," he said softly.

Rose smiled gratefully before yawning once again.

"Go to sleep, Rose. I'm not going anywhere," he assured her.

Rose smiled again and allowed her eyes to slide closed. The Doctor lay staring at her for a couple of minutes before she shivered a bit and drew her arms to her sides, laying her cheek on the ground.

He hadn't yet noticed, as he wasn't uncomfortable, but he quickly realized the temperature in the room had dropped a few degrees. Enough that a human would definitely be chilly without cover. Of course these blasted Danarians hadn't provided them with any blankets… heavens forbid they might want not want to show each other their genitalia or they actually may want to keep _warm_. Rose shivered again beside him and he made up his mind.

Scooting his body over closer, he angled himself so he could drape his arm over her back and lean the side of his body against hers without contacting his privates with anything 'Rose-like'. He knew he wouldn't be _much_ help, as his body temperature was still cooler than her own, but at least he was warmer than the air in the room.

Rose responded by scootching into him a bit more, very nearly making his careful positioning moot. She quickly settled, however, and let out a contented sigh. He found himself doing the same as he watched her fall asleep in the dim light. This time tomorrow night, they would be on their way to find the TARDIS, he told himself. He would be looking at Rose in the moonlight, but they would be running under it, not trapped in a cage trying to see by it. They would be free.


	21. Considered

A bit of a lighter hearted chapter for those needing one!

* * *

**CHAPTER 21 - Heeled: Considered**

The moon shone down on them both as they lay in the cool sand. The only sounds around were crickets… or some creature like them… making noise in the surrounding foliage. Now that they were finally far enough away from Stala's house, they decided a quick rest stop was in order, as it felt like they'd been running for ages.

As they both lay quietly, relishing the cool night air, Rose reached for the Doctor's hand and brought it up to her lips, kissing it softly. The Doctor turned onto his side, taking in Rose's curvy form in the bright moonlight. Gods she was beautiful.

Reaching out, he drew his fingers through her hair once before moving closer. He needed to feel her. They were free now, and finally, _finally_ he could really show her what she meant to him.

Their lips met chastely at first, but as their measured soft movements quickly turned more passionate they both pulled even closer together. The thin layers of material between them were no match for the fervent desire they'd both been reigning in, and within moments, they were clambering out of the oppressive apparel to press into each other as they had wanted to now for days.

Hands roamed and lips met skin as they moved against each other in the night air. In the interests of exploration, the Doctor swiftly turned Rose around in his arms to explore her from another angle. Rose gasped as he pressed kisses onto the exposed skin of her back even as he dipped a hand between her legs and inserted a finger deep inside her. He moaned at her readiness and allowed himself a moment to revel in the heat of her before removing his finger. Rose whimpered at the loss of him, but he wasn't going to leave her bereft for long. Sliding up behind her, he placed himself at her entrance and pressed into her. A loud moan issued from somewhere deep inside him as he moved against her.

"Mmm," Rose hummed, pressing herself back against him as he moved inside her. He felt her very warm back nestle against his chest as he…

...but her back _wasn't_ actually touching his chest…

"Mmmmmm," Rose's voice buzzed appreciatively once again.

The Doctor's eyes flew open.

The inside of the kennel was bright with the sunlight filtering through the blanket covering it. Rose's warm back was, indeed, currently pressed flush with his front as he spooned her from behind, his erection pressed solidly into the crease of her backside. His arm was draped around her protectively even as he had been grinding himself against her.

Oh gods. Rose squirmed a bit in his arms and wiggled herself against his hard length, making him moan involuntarily and hold her a bit tighter. His eyes rolled back as he willed himself to pull away from her. Rassilon… pulling away from her seemed to be the story of his life right now. Could he regenerate from sexual frustration? Did that ever happen? He was beginning to suspect it was probably commonplace at one time in Gallifreyan history, prompting Rassilon to encourage use of looms to procreate.

Gently extricating himself from her, he pulled away slowly, desperately hoping he hadn't woken her in the process.

He froze as Rose shifted and rolled over onto her front again, mumbling something before settling again.

The Doctor blew out a relieved breath and thanked every single deity he could think of that she hadn't woken. It was bad enough she'd seen clothed evidence of the state she regularly put him in. On top of that, the last thing she needed after all the trauma she'd suffered here was to realize she'd had some randy Time Lord dry humping her in a kennel.

Closing his eyes and concentrating for a few minutes, he managed to tamp his hormones down a bit and got himself back under control before turning to lie back on his front as Rose was.

While he waited for her to wake, he considered their options for escape. He'd had a few ideas, but in the end, he figured it was best to keep it simple. Stala and Sanjay would have to help them, but they'd already committed to doing so, and he wasn't worried about them changing their minds, really. He was more worried about the timing of the whole thing.

From his right he heard a smack of lips as Rose woke. The air in the kennel was decidedly warmer now, and was actually verging on being overly so.

"Morning," she said, finally opening an eye.

The Doctor smiled widely. "Morning Ms. Tyler. Nice to have you join me finally," he said, not bothering to mention that he, himself, had gotten a good four hour kip in as well.

"Yeah, well, don't ever say I never did anything for ya," she said, giving him a half smile.

A pang of guilt tugged at him as memories of her firm behind wiggling against his manhood filled his mind. Immediately quashing that train of thought, he babbled, "I would _never_ say such a thing. You do all _kinds_ of things for me. Like… you take the last of the biscuits so I won't gain too much weight, or you choose the films we watch so I won't make a mistake and choose something too boring. You're a giver, Rose, there's no doubt," he grinned cheekily.

"Shut it," she said, now smiling fully. "You're just jealous because you know I have better taste in movies," she said, tongue touching teeth. "'Sides… last time you picked we ended up watching that horrid trainwreck of a film… what was it? Ishtar? God, Doctor… even my _mother_ didn't like that one," she teased.

"Rose Tyler… Ishtar is a _classic_! It becomes a cult film about 100 years after it was made, you know. Suppose it _was_ a bit funnier after it was translated into Cantonese," he added thoughtfully.

Rose rolled her eyes affectionately. He loved when she did that. Mind you… there wasn't much she did that he didn't lo-... adore.

"Anyway…" Rose said dramatically, obviously making a bid to have the conversation move along, "Stala and Sanjay have school today, so we probably won't be able to make a break for it before tea."

The Doctor nodded. Made sense. That's pretty much the way he'd figured the timing of their escape as well.

"I think I'm actually going to miss Stala, you know" Rose added, her voice thoughtful.

The Doctor smiled. "They grow on you, don't they? Kids, I mean. Even massive reptilian ones like this lot. Kids are kids. Weeelll, I _say_ that, but I suppose there are exceptions. There's a species of tripedal arachnids called the Brilloptian who are born already knowing the full collected knowledge of their species and as they get older, they gradually forget it all and regress to what other species might term infancy. Fascinating really. Would be odd having to change your grandpa's nappy, though, I suppose if you think about it. Still… for the most part, kids are kids," he babbled. He talked too much in this body when he was nervous or excited. He knew that, but it didn't stop him from doing it. Somehow talking released tension, and that came in handy after being holed up all night with a luscious blonde naked human female.

Rose giggled. "I can just see you changing my Mom's nappy one day," she laughed.

The Doctor grimaced. "Bite your tongue, Rose Tyler," he admonished in mock disgust.

Rose laughed a bit harder at his reaction, which she had to know was coming.

"Anyway… I've changed plenty of nappies in my day," he offered. "Thankfully none of them belonged to a full grown adult," he added.

Comfortable silence fell for a moment. Then, "So… you've been a Dad before," Rose said. It was a statement more than a question. She knew that he'd travelled with his granddaughter after all… she would've come to the logical conclusion.

"Yup," he said, quietly, lightly popping the 'p'.

"How many?" she asked tentatively. She rarely asked him very personal questions and he could tell she wasn't sure what his reaction would be. He had to admit, he wasn't one to share much with his companions. Opening up often meant admitting to the feelings behind the memories, some of which… many of which… were painful and undealt with. Discussion about his own family fell into that category. He couldn't fault Rose, though. He'd brought the subject of children up, after all.

"Two," he said, his voice coming out rather emotionless.

"Oh," Rose said, clearly realizing that this was one of _those_ topics.

She seemed about to let him off the hook, when he surprised himself by elaborating, "A girl… Denorah… her mother named her. She was Susan's mother. That wasn't her real name, you know… Susan. Her real name was Arkytior," he smiled wistfully. "Means 'Rose' in High Gallifreyan, actually. Funny… seems I'm drawn to that particular flower," he grinned.

Rose smiled, her cheeks pinkening slightly. "So… you said you had two children?" Rose said, obviously trying to prod him into talking some more.

He sighed. "Yup. The other was a boy. Died not long after he was loomed," he said wistfully, recalling his son's small head of fluffy brown hair. He'd lived only a few days before his body lost a terrible genetic battle.

"I'm so sorry," Rose said sadly after a moment.

The Doctor took a deep breath in through his nose. "It was a long long time ago. Wasn't genetically sound, they said," he shook his head, feeling the rising tide of surprisingly still raw emotion that accompanied the memory. Deliberately pushing the physician's pronouncement and its accompanying pain back deep into his mind, he rallied. "Anyway… all that to say… I've done my time when it comes to nappy changing," he said, pasting a semblance of a smile on.

The Doctor thought he might have seen a very short flash of pity in Rose's gaze before she quickly schooled her features to something he was more comfortable with… a supportive smile. Leaning over, Rose kissed his elbow, which was the closest of his body parts to her at the moment. He grinned at her, then leaned over and did the same to her.

Then, from somewhere down the hall they heard the baby cry. "Sounds like the house is waking up," the Doctor said unnecessarily. Within moments, the pitter patter of big Danarian feet shushed along the sandy floor and the blanket covering their kennel was torn off. Above them stood Stala's next oldest sister, holding the rumpled fabric aloft while staring down at them. "Hmm," she said, considering something. Then she turned her head and yelled down the hall, "Mom! How can you tell if they mated or not?!"

The Doctor and Rose both cringed with the intense volume of the child's voice as she screamed to her mother. Henny's voice drifted back down the corridor, "Just a minute, Pavie… I'm in the loo!"

Pavie looked back down at the two pets currently lying on their bellies in the cage. The Doctor imagined that this probably didn't look too promising… to find their pets still too embarrassed to even look at each other. Maybe they'd take the hint, he hoped, knowing even as he thought it that it was really just a ridiculous dream.

Stala came running in then and stood beside her sister. "I don't think they did it," Pavie said, looking doubtful.

"They didn't," Stala said assuredly. "Daisy said they couldn't have a humini until they got married," she shared.

Pavie looked down at her sister and made a face. "You're such a liar," she accused, sneering.

"Am not!" Stala shot back, all her hands balling into fists. "Daisy and Hue are gonna get married when they go home and THEN they can have babies," she insisted.

Pavie rolled her eyes and looked back down at the pets, clearly deciding it wasn't worth fighting about. "Whatever," she said before dropping the blanket on the ground and leaving the living room.

"I hate her," Stala said, turning to talk to Daisy. "She _always_ thinks I'm lying and I'm NOT," she said, plopping herself down on the floor beside the kennel.

"No, you're not," Rose agreed.

"Can't you talk to her and tell her I'm not lying?" Stala begged. It sounded like they'd had this talk before.

"No, Stala. Remember? She's too old and she won't understand. Not yet, anyway," Rose told her.

Stala's shoulders slumped. "Aw, _maaaan_," she said dramatically.

"But I promise… someday soon I'll show them that I can really talk and that you haven't been lying, okay?" she said honestly.

"Okay," Stala agreed, a bit dejectedly.

"Um, Stala," the Doctor said after a moment, "I don't suppose you could maybe give us that blanket? Or even better… could you find our pants and shirts? We're a bit, uh… cold," he fibbed.

"Oh. Sure," Stala said, getting up. "I can find your clothes. Hey! Daisy… do you want to wear your new shirt?" she asked.

The Doctor was sure he saw pride on Rose's face. "Wow… thank-you for asking me, Stala. You know… you're a very thoughtful girl. Yes… I'd love to wear my new shirt, thanks," she grinned at the young lizard.

Stala beamed with Rose's compliment and ran off to find their clothes. "That's the first time she's ever offered me a choice," Rose smiled, looking after the girl. "I think it's finally sinking in," she smiled.

The Doctor smiled back recalling a similar moment he'd had with Sanjay the other day. "Yeah… I think there's hope for this planet yet," he shared.


	22. On Display

**CHAPTER 22 - Heeled: On Display**

Stala had found their clothes and had given Rose her new shirt as promised, and they'd both quickly donned their t-shirts and pants on receiving them. She hadn't brought his trousers, but Rose didn't have any either, and he didn't want her to feel any more exposed in comparison to him anyhow, so he didn't make a fuss. The Doctor had to admit he felt immeasurably better with some fabric once again protecting him from the world. Rose looked extremely relieved as well, though she initially avoided letting him see the front of her shirt. It didn't take him long, however, to talk her into letting him read it, since, he explained, it was only a matter of time and she might as well get it overwith. Rolling her eyes, she slowly turned, straightening out the front of the shirt for him to study. 'I Do Tricks For Treats' was emblazoned on her chest in big block letters and underneath was a picture of a jelly lizard. "Hmmm… If I'd have known that's all it took…" he grinning cheekily, waggling his eyebrows suggestively. Rose, in turn, punched him hard the arm… but seeing the pink flush in her cheeks was worth it.

The kids all got off to school and Henny finally let Rose and the Doctor out of the kennel to relieve themselves and to eat. Luckily, Yula had explained her pet's uncanny ability to use the actual toilet, so the Doctor was spared another humiliating attempt to make him eliminate waste outdoors. Rose, on the other hand, apparently hadn't been afforded the same luxury, and was escorted outside to 'do her business'. Just another thing on the incredibly long list of humiliations she'd had to endure during her stay here. The thought made him ache.

Breakfast consisted of more of the same slop they'd been served the night before. Once again, they tucked in, knowing there wasn't much point in avoiding it. They'd need their strength if they were going to make it back to the TARDIS later. Someone had apparently changed their water bowl, the Doctor noticed, and he gratefully took a turn gulping down a good portion of it's contents after Rose had had her fill.

Finally, fed and relieved, Henny leashed them both and gathered up the baby to head to the vet's office. The Doctor breathed a sigh of relief when she'd leashed him as well. He had been worried she'd leave him at home while she took Rose in to get her cast removed. He wanted to be there to keep and eye on things… he didn't trust these 'human doctors' on this planet, given the complete incompetence _his_ vet had shown. He hadn't even examined him before prescribing a life threatening toxin, for heaven's sake. He didn't share his thoughts with Rose, though. No need to alarm her.

The ride over was uneventful, with Henny attaching their leashes to a hook in the floor of the vehicle, which looked like it was made for that exact purpose. The Doctor sighed. Like on earth, it seemed there were entire industries devoted to training, caring for, and draining the will to live out of your pet. Looking over at Rose, he noticed her biting her bottom lip… something she did when she was worried, he knew. Reaching over, he took her hand and squeezed it reassuringly. She gave him a small squeeze back and a half smile in return. While she had been excited for this particular trip earlier, it seems she was now having some reservations. Understandable. He'd look out for her though. No one was going to do anything potentially harmful to his precious girl when he was around or they'd have to deal with him first.

Finally arriving at the clinic, Henny released them both and lead them into the building. Rose's vet's office was definitely more on the posh end of things, with tinkling soft music playing and what the Doctor assumed was a stylish waiting room with rock slabbed seats and glass tables. Looking around the room, he noted that this time there were only human pets waiting. No Sontarans or Silurians here. It seemed that this clinic catered only to the owners of humans. Well, at least they'd likely be better able to actually recognize whether they were actually dealing with a real human or a Time Lord imposter. The thought bolstered the his confidence in this establishment a bit.

After signing them in, Henny carried Rose and the baby into the waiting room while leading the Doctor by the collar. Settling Rose on the floor, Henny sat on the stone bench with the baby in her lap, lightly holding the Doctor's leash in one of her hands.

The Doctor sat himself beside Rose and took her hand in his. Her shoulders seemed to relax a bit the contact. Looking around the room, the Doctor noticed a female… probably about Rose's age… holding a newborn baby, rocking it against her. The woman's owner was talking animatedly to the Danarian beside her, discussing the young mother's health after the infant's birth and how the vet had very nearly had to 'put her down' after, as she'd lost so much blood. She went on to expound on how relieved they hadn't had to, as she'd spent so much money on acquiring this human in the first place. The flippant comment made his stomach clench. Such casual reference to the young woman's possible death once again reinforced the limited value of humans on this planet. Well, he'd remedy that soon enough.

"Daisy Dartmouth," a Danarian called from the front desk.

"That's us, guys," Henny said to her posse, scooping up the baby in two of her arms. Reaching down, she was about to heave Rose up under another arm when the Doctor swooped in and lifted Rose up in his arms effortlessly. Henny's eyes widened. "Wow… you really _are_ a gentleman!" she laughed, amused by the Doctor's assistance in carrying her pet. The Doctor looked up expectantly at Rose's owner until she was apparently finished gawking at them and decided to move.

Rose whispered a 'thanks' in his ear as they followed the vet's assistant down the hall to the examination room. He smiled down at her by way of response. "If you could just wait in here, the doctor will be with you shortly," the assistant said brightly.

The examination room was clean and cheerily painted in shades of bright greens and blues. Along one wall were a series of cupboards, a counter and a sink. In the middle of the room a large padded examination table sat with a focused adjustable lamp hovering over it. Off to the side sat a large kennel.

Henny leaned over and unclipped the leash from the Doctor's collar and then placed the baby on the floor and pulled out a toy from her pocket for him...her?... to chew on. The Doctor kept meaning to ask Rose about the gender of the child, if only for pronoun simplicity. Still standing, the Doctor held Rose in his arms. "You can put me down if you want, Doctor… I'll be okay," she assured him.

He appreciated her attempt to be strong… she knew he was concerned about her and she wanted to put on a brave face… but he prefered to have her in his arms for as long as possible. It was the only place on this planet he truly knew she was safe.

A moment later, a tall male Danarian entered the room holding a clipboard. "Daisy?" he said, his eyes finally lighting on the only female human in the room. "Well! What do we have here?" he asked, amusement twinkling in his eyes.

"Oh… we're trying to breed her. We think these two are a mated pair… it certainly looks like it, anyway," Henny shared.

"Well, I'd say that's pretty evident," he smiled. Kneeling in front of them, the doctor eyed them both. "He's certainly protective of her… that's obvious. Males tend to become quite territorial when their mates are around. By the way he's holding her, I'd guess they've been a mated pair for some time," he reasoned, studying them.

"That's what we thought," Henny confirmed, nodding.

"Well, let's have a look at her, shall we?" he said, gently extricating her from the Doctor's arms. "How's she been doing since the cast went on," he asked.

"She seems fine. Rex… our male that's here right now getting fixed… he dropped her and her and she looked pretty uncomfortable for a while after that, but she seems to be doing better now," Henny shared.

The doctor placed Rose carefully on the examination table and gently palpated her leg above the cast. Rose didn't flinch, the Doctor was relieved to notice. Moving down her leg to her foot, the vet slowly bent Rose's toes back and then pressed on the bottom of her foot. Rose cringed a bit, but probably more out of trepidation than actual pain, as the expression left her face as quickly as it came.

"It looks like she's ready to put some pressure on it now," he advised. "I think we can definitely remove the cast today."

The Doctor let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. They would've had to postpone their escape if the cast hadn't been ready to be taken off. Now it looked like they'd probably be ready to make a break for it tonight for sure.

"Okay!" the doctor said brightly. "Let's get her asleep and get this off her leg," he said happily.

Asleep? What did she need to be asleep for?

"Why does she have to be asleep?" Henny asked, as if reading his mind.

"It's just safer. Sometimes the noise of the saw scares them and they move… it's just a precaution. Wouldn't want to saw anything off that didn't need to be," he joked, chuckling.

The Doctor scowled. Ha ha. Not laughing.

Moving to the door, he opened it and called out, "Marla… could you come give me a hand with this?"

'Marla' appeared at the door a moment later and the vet briefed her on the procedure about to be completed. Rose looked down at the Doctor from the table, her eyes shining with worry. She didn't want to be unconscious, he knew. He completely understood. It was bad enough feeling as helpless as they did in this situation, but if she was unconscious, anything could happen. Moving to the side of the table, he reached up and touched her hand as she reached down for his.

"Awww, I think she's scared," Henny said, her face full of concern. Well at least she cared about Rose.

"She's probably a bit nervous," the doctor conceded. "She'll be out in a minute and it'll be over quickly," he assured her.

Rose's eyes shone with anxiety as the assistant neared her with a mask. The Doctor nodded to her, trying to reassure her. He'd watch out for her. He wasn't going anywhere. Biting her lip, she nodded back, taking a deep breath to calm herself before allowing the assistant to lie her down on the table. The Doctor had to release her hand as the assistant had taken it from him and placed Rose's arms along her sides. Anxiety rose in him, but he tamped it down and willed himself to stay calm. So far the vet had seemed competent enough.

He couldn't actually see Rose anymore, as the tabletop was too high, so he looked around and found a log chair against the wall. Moving to it quickly, he climbed up on it and stood up to see Rose lying, now asleep, on the examination table with the assistant hooking the mask around her head.

"Right. She's out now. Marla, could you please pass me the saw?" the vet asked, holding his hand out to receive the requested instrument.

Marla placed a small electric cutting device in his hand. Turning it on, the vet placed it against the top of Rose's cast and began slicing the plaster-like material. The saw was actually quite loud… the vet hadn't been exaggerating… and the baby on the ground let out a surprised yelp before emitting a howl of fear. Henny quickly reached down and scooped up the little lizard, pressing its face against her chest to try to sooth it. Bits of material flew from the cast as the vet sliced through it and the Doctor could see the debris landing on Rose's pants and shirt and onto the table around her. Finally the doctor powered down the saw and handed it to his assistant, much to everyone's relief, as the silence seemed to immediately placate the wailing baby in Henny's arms.

"Okay," the vet said to no one in particular. Reaching down, he opened the cast, forcing the sides down and away from Rose's leg. The Doctor could see from where he stood that her leg appeared to have healed well. The vet removed the remains of the cast from under Rose's calf and laid it back down on the table carefully. Running his hands along her leg, he nodded, seemingly satisfied with the outcome of the casting. "Looks good," he said, glancing up at Henny. "It's healed perfectly. Her muscles will be weak for a while, so I'd avoid letting her walk on it for more than five to ten minutes at a time," he advised, "at least for a few days."

Henny nodded. "Alright. Will she need any painkillers tonight?" she asked.

"Shouldn't do," the vet answered, considering, "but if you're concerned, you can give her some when you feed her today."

"That's good," she said. "I hate thinking she might be in pain," Henny shared.

The assistant, in the meantime, had removed the mask from Rose's face and was wiping the shards of cast from her skin and clothes. "Doctor," Marla said, indicating the vet, obviously, "did you see this?" Rose's shirt had lifted and something had caught Marla's attention. From where the Doctor stood, he couldn't make out what she was looking at.

The doctor leaned over to see what his assistant was looking at. "Hmmm. She was a stray before you got her, is that right Ms. Dartmouth?" he asked, running on of his fingers along the skin of Rose's stomach and pulling the band of her pants down a bit to trail his finger down a bit further.

The Doctor felt himself tense. Her scar. It had been a pretty wild trip to Urius Four and Rose had managed to fall against a particularly sharp branch while they ran for the TARDIS. Luckily they were very close to the ship when it happened and the Doctor had managed to get it healed with no incident. And while the scar had pretty much been erased, a very faint line could still be seen. Not that he'd spent a lot of time looking at it, mind. He only knew because it had been there after he'd finished trying to get rid of it for her.

His memories of their trip were interrupted by Henny's answer. "Yes… she was found, we think, with Hue here. Why? Is everything okay?" she asked, her voice concerned.

"Well, she's got a scar here. You're trying to breed her, you said?" he asked.

Oh… the Doctor didn't like where this was going.

"Yes, and actually, I was wondering if you could give us some advice about that… we haven't had much luck so far breeding them. Even put them in the kennel last night without any clothes on at all. I can't be sure, but I really don't think they mated," she said, shaking her head.

The doctor frowned. "Ms. Dartmouth, I'm wondering if there's a reason she _can't_ mate. Hopefully this scar isn't indicative of anything more worrying, but we should probably check to make sure," he said wisely.

Nope. Definitely not liking where this was going.

"Oh. Alright… if you think we should. Um… how much will that cost?" she asked wincing.

One part of the Doctor was angry that she'd even ask. If your pet's health was in question, should their wellbeing be ignored due to expense? On the other hand, a big part of him hoped the price would be significant so they'd drop the idea of a thorough examination altogether.

"How much would that be, Marla?" the vet asked.

"Seventy-five burros," Marla answered efficiently.

"You know, normally I would recommend a full examination for a female before breeding anyway, and seeing as how there is a higher possibility here of a problem, I would highly recommend it," the vet encouraged.

"Oh… alright. We might as well," Henny caved.

With that, the vet nodded to his assistant who left the room, perhaps to gather more equipment. In the meantime, the doctor turned and began preparing a tray… assumingly for the 'thorough' examination he was planning. The Doctor's anxiety spiked. Rose didn't even know about this. She was about to be probed by aliens in a very real way and the Doctor had sworn to protect her. But how?

Going on instinct alone, the Doctor jumped down from the chair and ran to the table, climbing up using the shelves along the side of the table as footholds. Henny, noticing his ascent, gasped in surprise. Clambering onto the top of the table, the Doctor kneeled near Rose's head, grasped her under her arms and pulled her into his lap protectively. He certainly wouldn't get far trying to carry her anywhere, so that was out. Talking right now would open doors absolutely best left closed. The only option he could see was to look entreating and protective. Maybe if they saw how emotional this was for her mate, they'd let it go for now and resolve to make another appointment time to complete it. He could hope.

"Hue! What are you doing?" Henny exclaimed.

"Look at that," the vet said, shaking his head. "Remember when I said that mated males can be protective? I wasn't kidding," he said, approaching the Doctor and Rose slowly. Obviously this reptile had been on the receiving end of an angry male before, because he was being very cautious. He moved in slowly, but methodically, working not to further agitate this obviously volatile human. The Doctor worked to look as non-threatening as possible, but wanted to still get his message across. This female was _his_ and he'd prefer if these Danarians would just leave her be.

"I won't hurt her, Hue," the giant lizard said in an overly animated voice. "Come on… I won't hurt her," he said again getting closer.

The Doctor watched him warily and pulled Rose closer as he neared. He shot a longing look at Henny, hoping he might have an ally there, but her eyes returned only worry. It seemed she thought he was a possible threat to Rose as well.

The doctor was beginning to reach out tentatively to extricate Rose from the Doctor's grasp when the Doctor did the only thing he could think of. Putting Rose down, he jumped to put himself between her and this grabby lizard. With the Doctor's quick movement, the vet took a step back and Henny gasped. The Doctor really didn't want to appear potentially violent… just desperate. Not a hard mask to put on at all.

"He's going to hurt her!" Henny squawked.

As _if_ he'd hurt her, the Doctor thought sourly. Where were this lizard's _eyes_? Clearly he was trying to protect her pet, not cause her harm.

"No, it's okay Ms. Dartmouth. I think he's just very worried about her. I doubt he'd even hurt _me_, but we can't be too careful," he advised. "Marla," he called.

The assistant appeared at the door taking in the situation in a flash. Nodding at the vet, she quickly moved to the side of the table opposite him, getting herself into position. Looking back and forth between the two, the Doctor watched anxiously as they both approached. Then, nodding to each other, both Danarians pounced at once, each grabbing one of the Doctor's arms. Instinctively he tried to pull away, but both held fast. While keeping hold of his one arms, the vet took his other arm from Marla and turned the Doctor around to hold both arms behind his back. While the vet secured his hands with something hard and unyielding, the assistant reached into a cabinet behind her and grabbed a rounded sturdy item with grating on one side. Pulling it over the Doctor's head while he squirmed, she managed to get it clasped so it fit tightly; the grating caging his jaw in case he should be so inclined to attempt to bite his captors.

Frustration once again filled him. Useless! He was useless to help her… again.

Manhandling him, the assistant grabbed the Doctor up, wary of possibly getting kicked, and plopped him into the large waiting kennel on the floor, swinging the door shut behind him and locking it. The Doctor quickly got to his knees and flew to the cage door trying to see Rose from this angle. He was now completely unable to see her, dammit. Fuck! What had he done? At least while he was out there, he could keep an eye on what they were doing. Now he was trapped in here and she was literally on her own out there.

"Ms. Dartmouth… you're welcome to wait in the waiting room if you'd like. We're going to be a few minutes and you might be more comfortable out there," Marla suggested kindly.

Henny looked worriedly at Rose and then cast a glance at the Doctor. "Don't worry," the vet interjected, seeing the direction of her attention, "he'll be fine in here. We can bring them both out when we're done," he offered.

"Thank-you… maybe I will wait out there," she nodded. "Come on, Blim," she cooed to the baby still huddled in her arms. Turning, she left the room, shutting the door behind her.

The huge Danarian vet took a deep breath and reached up to swing the light above Rose into place directly above where the Doctor assumed her middle would be. He could hear some shuffling then and a moment later the assistant turned and placed Rose's pink shorts on top of the kennel he was in. Oh, Rose.

From this angle he couldn't see any part of his precious girl, at least until he saw the bend of her knee over the side of the table. He tried not to imagine her, unconscious, lying with both knees askance and her centre bared to these bloody witchdoctors, because all that did was make him want to harm every living being on this planet.

"Speculum," the vet requested, holding out a hand. The assistant reached over to the tray the doctor had assembled earlier and grabbed the instrument to place in the doctor's waiting hand. It was silent for a moment before the vet said, "Videoscope." Marla took up a slim device and passed it to the doctor. Then, moving to a panel in the wall that the Doctor hadn't noticed before, she opened it to reveal a screen. The monitor flashed blue before an image filled it. Oh.

Pink, shiny flesh stared down at him from on high and the Doctor found himself staring despite his revulsion. They were scoping his brilliant girl without her knowledge and certainly without her consent. The worst was that, despite the nauseating fact that they had no business poking and prodding his helpless human, he couldn't help but watch the entire thing in sick fascination as the camera moved further into her. On the screen the camera reached her cervix and prodded its way through. Rose grunted, even in her unconscious state, as the camera pushed itself against the sensitive barrier. The Doctor, without the use of his hands, banged his helmeted head against the bars of the cage, rattling them hard. He knew full well they weren't going to give way, but he needed to vent the anger building in him.

"Could you sedate her again, Marla," the vet directed, "I think she's coming to." The vet looked down in the Doctor's direction then with a smile. "It's okay, my friend. Your mate is fine," he said, assuring him. "It's always so fascinating watching a mated pair, I find," he commented again to his assistant.

Marla merely nodded, apparently used to his chatter while working.

The Doctor continued to stare at the screen above him as the image showed the engorged lining of Rose's uterus. She was close to ovulating, the Doctor knew… not because of the visual evidence before him, but because he knew where Rose was in her cycle just as a matter of course. Not that he was some sick pervert, secretly keeping track of this gorgeous woman's fertility, because he wasn't. It's just that her skin smelled differently at different times in her cycle and he'd had each intoxicating smell sorted and categorized without even realizing he'd done so.

"Well… all looks good there, I think," the vet confirmed, pulling the videoscope slowly out of Rose's uterus and vagina. "No evidence of previous pregnancy," he added. It got quiet for a few moments then, making the Doctor press harder against the bars in an effort to see something… anything… that would tell him what the two reptiles were up to with his Rose.

Within seconds the Doctor heard the unmistakable sound of high powered sound waves being pushed through a semi-solid substance. They were using an ultrasound, the idiots! Ultrasound, when not painstakingly calibrated to tune out focused sub and supra frequencies, caused cavitation, or formation of vapour in the liquids in the body. If the idea of forming vapour within the body wasn't bad enough, the byproduct of this activity was disintegrated biological matter, which quickly seeped through the skin and settled in the liver of the patient. In short… ultrasounds… they'd discovered in the early 21st century on earth… were toxic and related to various forms of cancer and liver damage, not to mention infertility. In addition, if not specifically calibrated to the density of the tissues for each species it was used on… say, for example, humans vs. Danarians... the risk increased exponentially.

He knew humans didn't have the superior olfactory senses Time Lords did, otherwise they'd have figured out not to use unfocused ultrasound technology for imaging much sooner than they did on earth. The byproducts of cavitation seeping through the skin smelled of decaying grey matter… not a smell anyone could mistake for something _good_. So far the Doctor hadn't smelled anything out of the ordinary, so if they were lucky, Danarians had sorted the need to carefully calibrate their ultrasound devices specifically for humans by this time in their history.

An image flashed onto the screen above him again, this time in various shades of grey. On it, the Doctor could make out one of Rose's ovaries. If it was healthy before, he just desperately hoped it continued to be after these idiots were done. The Doctor cringed as the image blurred and refocused, obviously now showing him Rose's other seemingly healthy ovary. The unmistakable smell of cavitation byproduct hit his nose then. Oh Gods. A wave of nausea rolled over him with the realization of what this could mean for Rose. Even considering it made him feel ill. Their technology was definitely not advanced enough to tune out the toxic frequencies, and dammit… they probably didn't know to calibrate it specifically for humans...and now Rose's tissues had probably been altered because of it.

Panic flew through his mind. He had to get her to the TARDIS. He could reverse the effects of the byproduct on her liver, but if they'd damaged her ovaries there would be nothing he could do. He'd only be able to tell if there was permanent damage once he got Rose into the infirmary on his ship.

"Okay… everything looks good. There's no reason she can't have children as far as I can see," the vet pronounced, removing the instrument from Rose's belly, as evidenced by the now black screen on the wall.

The Doctor wanted to be sick. Rose had trusted him to watch out for her while these monsters had her unconscious, and instead she might wake to find out she was not only violated, but possibly infertile thanks to his incredible inability to keep her safe from harm. A sickening wave of helplessness overcame him as he leaned dejectedly against the bars of the kennel. A fucking _kennel_ for Rassilon's sake! He'd never been one to completely surrender to despair, but now… right now… was the closest he'd come in a very long time.


	23. Informed

Whew! How could I have left poor Rose and the Doctor like that? Evil. My muse is evil.

Thanks to all for the incredible support with this fic! You're all FANTASTIC!

* * *

**CHAPTER 23 - Heeled: Informed**

The vet cleaned Rose up and the assistant redressed her. The Doctor, still sitting forlornly in the cage on the floor, watched the activity from his vantage point. It was over. The degradation of his magnificent human was over for the time being. If he didn't feel he had to be strong for her, he knew he'd have succumbed to the tears prickling in his eyes right now.

A few minutes passed before the assistant left the room to retrieve Henny for a debrief. The vet gathered Rose up in his arms while they waited and moved to kneel beside the kennel the Doctor had been holed up in. The Doctor scooted to the side to make room for him to place Rose in beside him. Looking up entreatingly at the vet, he turned so his hands faced the large reptile and then looked over his shoulder questioningly. The Danarian smiled. "Whoa… you're a smart one, you are," he chuckled. "Alright… let's get you out of all this gear," he said, reaching for the handcuff equivalents on his wrists and undoing them before fiddling with the straps and clasps holding the helmet on his head. Finally freed, the Doctor immediately fell beside Rose and examined her intently. He leaned into her and took a cautious breath. The smell of the ultrasound byproducts in her skin had now dissipated, but an odd smell reached his nose… not unpleasant, but not Rose. Must be the remnants of the ultrasound jelly or the lubricant on the speculum, he figured.

Quickly pouring over her unconscious form and then gingerly manipulating her leg, he finally felt satisfied she was at least alright for the short term, and he lay down beside her, stroking her hair. "Gods, Rose… I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," he murmured in her ear. Leaning over, he kissed her forehead and leaned his own against hers. If he could take on her trials and pains he would, in a heartsbeat. No question.

Henny and the baby then entered the room, ushered in by the vet's assistant. "So...all looks good," the doctor said, taking a seat after Henny settled herself in a chair opposite him. "Everything looks healthy and it doesn't look like she's ever been pregnant before," he assured her. "No reason she can't have a humini. I've taken the liberty of giving her an injection to increase fertility for the next few days and I also applied a topical stimulant to increase her interest in mating as well. Don't worry… no extra charge," he added quickly, seeing Henny's slight cringe. "Hopefully she'll come around and give Hue a break," he smiled.

"Well… isn't that sweet of you. Thank-you so much!" Henny grinned.

A spike of hot anxiety flooded the Doctor's veins. That was what he'd been smelling. Oh Gods… poor Rose. Just what she needed… on top of her normal hormonal spikes, she had to now contend with a needleful of synthetic ones as well.

"No problem," the doctor said, rising from the chair he'd taken across from Henny. "Now…. remember what I said. Probably shouldn't let her run around for more than ten minutes at a time on that leg for a few days. She'll probably naturally go easy on it, but it's best to monitor her," he instructed.

"I will," Henny promised. "So… is Hue alright now?" She asked, peering in the cage.

"Oh, yes… calmed right down once she was back in there with him. Honestly, Ms. Dartmouth… I wouldn't be too alarmed at his behaviour. It's pretty standard for a mated male to be extra protective, and it's likely she's ready to ovulate, which means her body is releasing pheramones… chemicals… that make the male even more attracted to her and even more protective. It's nature's way of encouraging breeding," he assured her.

Henny's posture relaxed a bit. "Oh. Well, alright. So… I don't have to worry about him hurting her, then?" she asked, obviously still wary.

"Not at all," the doctor supplied, opening the cage. "In fact, there's a very good chance he'll protect her with his life if need be. He won't hurt her."

Henny let out a deep breath. "Well, that's a relief," she sighed. "After all the issues with our other male, I wasn't sure," she added.

The vet smiled. "Speaking of your other human, he's doing very well and will probably be ready to go home as early as tomorrow if you'd like to pick him up then."

Henny looked down at Rose and the Doctor, biting her lip. "Hmmm… do you think you might be able to keep him for the extra day? While these two are mating? He was so aggressive with Hue… I'm worried they'll fight, and Rex won't be well, I'm sure."

The vet nodded. "Well, we do have a kennel service for an extra forty burros a day," he offered.

Henny sighed. "Oh. Well… yeah, I guess we'd better do that then," she said, obviously adding the cost of this entire venture up in her head.

"Great. You can work out the details with Hyta up front," he smiled. Then, bending down, he called the Doctor out of the cage, patting his knee.

The Doctor sat up and gently tugged Rose toward the door of the kennel before climbing out himself. Turning, he pulled her into his arms and stood up.

"See what I mean?" the vet said instructionally to Henny. "He'll make sure she comes to no harm."

Henny continued to look concerned, but nodded lightly. The vet's arguments seemed to be winning her over.

Moving to the Doctor, the vet clipped his leash back into his collar and handed it to Henny. "Here you go. Now… if nothing happens this month, don't panic. If you like, you can bring her in about the same time next month and we can inject her again, okay?"

"Alright. Thank-you, Doctor," Henny said gratefully before leading the Doctor out of the room with the baby firmly ensconced in two of her arms.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The Doctor held Rose all the way home, as she still hadn't woken. She'd stirred a few times since they'd left, but each time she'd merely fallen back asleep after half-heartedly opening her eyes. They'd likely given her a bit too much anaesthetic, the Doctor figured, shaking his head. No surprise they hadn't calibrated their ultrasound for humans… this lot couldn't even anesthetize them correctly. Part of him wished she'd wake up soon so he could reassure himself that she was truly alright after the veterinary ordeal. The bigger, more cowardly part of him desperately wished she would just sleep until after tea, when they were planning to escape. The idea of having to confess to her what her body had been put through while she slept… while _he_ was supposed to be protecting her… made him almost literally ill.

Finally arriving back at Stala's house, the Doctor followed Henny into the house obediently with Rose in his arms. On entering, she'd shut the door behind them, unclipped the Doctor's leash, and immediately wandered off down the hall with the baby who was now wide awake and squawking… probably hungry.

The Doctor carried Rose over to the pet bed in the corner and lay her on it carefully. The hormones the vet had injected her with were now starting to seep through her pores, making her smell, frankly… delicious.

Fantastic. Yet _another_ temptation he'd have to fight. As if his hormonal defences weren't already taxed to their limit.

It was already half-two in the afternoon and the kids would soon be home from school. It was now only a matter of hours before he and Rose would make a run for it. He was just desperately hoping she was ready for the trek. He had serious doubts, but like she'd said, she didn't want to be left behind. He also didn't want to put off their escape any longer. Not only would his resolve to leave Rose unshagged during this harrowing adventure be tested even further, but there was a good chance he'd be separated from her again soon. They might not get another chance like this again for a while.

Beside him, Rose stirred and turned into him, curling her head to burrow herself into his chest. Then, to his immense surprise, she trailed her hand down and dipped it inside the band of her shorts while smacking her lips in sleep. He was about to consider extricating himself from the leg she'd thrown over his, when she began moving her hand in small circles under her pants. The Doctor froze. Was… was she, uh… He chanced a look down at the moving lump that was her hand against her… uh, privates… and immediately wished he hadn't. A wash of pheromones played over him as her movements quickened along with her breathing. Oh Gods… she was… Oh Gods. Her hips began to move in sympathy with her fingers as she played with herself alongside him. At this moment, he wished nothing more than to be invisible. For two reasons. First, so Rose wouldn't be embarrassed if she woke to find she'd very naturally been pleasuring herself… especially given the aphrodisiac she'd been given at the vets… and second, so he could continue watching without being worried she'd think him an incredible wanker for enjoying the view.

Deciding he'd once again have to be the 'bigger man', so to speak, he very reluctantly began to ease himself away from Rose's gently undulating form. Unfortunately, that's when she chose to moan in her sleep, her body clearly appreciating the attention she was giving it. The sound, though it was obviously not Rose's subconscious intention, hit it's mark, making the Doctor's wakening member shoot to full attention even as he once again froze… too enthralled to continue pushing himself away from her. Rose's legs were now fully wrapped around one of his and she was curling in even further on herself as the circular movements beneath the light fabric of her pants sped up even more. Another moan escaped her and without awareness, he responded with one of his own, his hand having wrapped around the outline of the bulge in his own pants. Rose's moans quickly became whimpers as her gorgeous face contorted with full arousal. Rassilon… she was going to cum. A small keening cry escaped her full lips even as he watched, his own hand having taken full possession of his own need by dipping under his waistband. Her body shook with her orgasm and he found himself edging very close to the same outcome as her body began to relax; her hand finally stopping it's previously frenetic movement. Unable to stop now, his need for completion being almost overwhelming, the Doctor stroked himself harder, his eyes never leaving Rose's full, inviting lips. An image of those lips… parted and wet, wrapping around him was all it took, and his body succumbed to his punishing movements.

His breath was harsh as he let himself fall onto his back beside her. Rassilon… what had she _done_ to him? Was this what he was now? Rude, not ginger, and apparently a wanker? He shook his head, hardly believing what had just transpired. Not that he'd never taken himself in hand before, but he'd _certainly_ never done it while leering at anyone. He lifted his head off the bed to survey the damage to his clothes. His pants were a sopping mess. Damn it. It wasn't like he had a change of clothes here. He considered his options. He could stay here and hope Rose didn't notice his, uh… state, when she woke, or he could go look around to see if there were any spare pants around… maybe Rex's? All around, that seemed the better idea. He didn't relish the idea of Rose waking to find a sodden Time Lord beside her. Then he remembered his trousers. He'd had them when he came here yesterday… they must be around here somewhere.

Pulling himself out from the tangle of Rose's legs, he got up and crept through the house. He first looked in Stala's room, but didn't find them there, so he moved on to the back room where the kennel had been kept when he first visited. His pants were indeed there, folded and placed on a shelf in the corner. Relieving himself of his cold, wet pants, he pulled on his trousers, feeling immeasurable better. Taking his pants, he ran back to Stala's room to deposit them in a hamper there.

That done, he returned to the living room to find Rose sitting up, squinting around adorably. Memories of her recent, uh, activity floated through his mind unbidden as his eyes treacherously raked over her. She seemed to actually glow with sexual energy. Bloody vet… like she _needed_ to be any more appealing that she already was.

"Doctor?" Rose said, peering up at him. "Where were you?"

"Hey again! Just went to find my trousers," he said truthfully. She didn't need to know why he had a sudden need for more coverage. Settling down beside her he pulled a stray tendril of hair away from her cheek, "Seems all you do now is sleep… like you didn't do enough of that before this trip," he teased.

She smirked affectionately at his little gibe. "Mmmm. Well… let's get out of here and I promise to stay awake for at least 24 hours straight to celebrate, yeah?" she vowed.

The Doctor chuckled. "You're on," he said, smiling. "How are you feeling, Rose?" he asked tentatively.

Rose took a deep breath and closed her eyes, maybe cataloguing various body parts and how they felt. Then her eyes popped open. "My leg! No more cast!" she grinned, sitting up and looking at her leg as if seeing it for the first time. She ran her hands along the skin of her lower leg. "Wow… I never thought I'd be so pleased to see my own unshaven leg!" she grinned at him.

The Doctor chuckled. "You 21st century humans and your need for hairlessness… I'll never understand it. Nothing wrong with hair, Rose. Your body was meant to have some, after all. Unlike the Murlaxin race… never meant to have hair, them. Then one big ol' genetic mutation, and BAM! Hair everywhere. Quite alarming looking, actually," he rambled.

"ANYWAY," Rose emphasized, smiling and pressing ahead, "I'm just happy to see my leg again, is my point. Feels… lighter," she said, lying back and lifting it in the air. "Ow," she said then, her hand moving to her abdomen.

"What's the matter," the Doctor said, alarmed a bit by the sudden change. He _knew_ what the matter was, of course, but he'd been hoping she wouldn't have any discomfort because of what they'd done.

"My… my stomach hurts. Not bad… just, well, hmmm," she finished, thinking and palpating her lower abdomen.

"Rose…" he started, resigning himself to what needed to be said. "I should… we need to talk," he finished.

Rose lifted her eyes to his, her brow furrowing. "What is it" she asked, concern seeping into her voice.

The Doctor sighed and sat up, rubbing the back of his neck. Obviously sensing the serious atmosphere, Rose sat up as well and touched his other hand. "What is it?" she asked again.

Just then, the speakerphone rang loudly on the table beside them. Startled, they both jumped a bit at the loud rattling ring. Within moments Henny breezed into the room and pressed the receive button.

"Hello?" she said cordially.

"Hi, Henny? It's Yula," a voice chimed over the speaker.

"Oh! Yula! I was just about to ring you!" Henny said, looking down at the Doctor and Rose.

"So how did it go?" Yula asked, obviously aware of the agenda for the Dartmouth household today.

"Well… Daisy got her cast off, and the doctor said it looks like it's healed well, thank goodness," she said seriously. "I'm so relieved. Anyway, I'm going to give her one more round of painkillers today, just to make sure she's not uncomfortable, but otherwise he said she should just take it easy for a couple of days. That's it!" she said smiling down at Rose.

Rose frowned, looking at the Doctor. Probably over the fact that Henny was planning to drug her again. She obviously wasn't too keen on the idea, seeing as how they needed her lucid for their breakaway later.

"Oh… and the vet found a scar on her stomach… we're not sure where she got it, so he suggested doing a full physical just to make sure she is actually able to conceive," she said, conversationally.

Rose's head snapped up at that. Her alarmed, questioning eyes darted to the Doctors. The Doctor's body tensed in reaction. This was _not_ how he'd wanted her to find out what had happened to her.

"Really?" Yula replied over the intercom. "How did it go?" she asked.

"Well, he said she should be able to have a humini… she's apparently never been pregnant, he said. I don't know how they can tell that, but he seemed pretty sure," she shared. "Anyway… it looks good. Hey… you know, if you're ever looking to change vets, you should check him out. Dr. Fwalik. He even gave Daisy a fertility shot for free!" she expounded into the speaker.

Rose audibly gasped. The Doctor looked down even as she tried to search for more information in them. How could he look at her? He'd let her down. Then, taking a deep breath, he summoned up the courage to lift his eyes. Hers were still intent on him, but were unreadable.

"Well… that's pretty impressive," Yula responded. "Don't get much for free nowadays," she said.

Henny nodded. "I agree. I really like him. Anyway… that's the scoop," she said. "Are you and Sanjay still coming by after tea tonight?" she asked, tapping the table top with her trimmed nails.

"Sure, if that's okay. Sanjay is really excited to come over tonight for some reason. I think he and Stala have planned something… some game or something. Anyway, does half-six sound alright to pop by?" she asked brightly.

"Absolutely! Sounds good. See you then," Henny agreed.

"Right… see you then! Bye," Yula said, ringing off.

Rose was still looking at the Doctor when Henny finished her conversation. It was clear he had a lot of explaining to do. He only wished she didn't look so… distant. He'd expected hurt. He'd definitely expected anger. He hadn't expected this.

"Alright, Daisy. Let's get you on your feet, yeah?" Henny said, clapping two of her hands together and moving to kneel in front of Rose.

Oh fantastic. The Doctor darted his eyes to look at Rose. She looked stoic. Gods… he needed to talk to her. The last thing she needed right now was bloody rehab, for Rassilon's sake.

Rose allowed Henny to grab her up under her arms and propped up on her feet. Henny then backed up a ways across the room and beckoned Rose to move toward her. "Come, Daisy!" she said enthusiastically, patting her leg.

As much as the Doctor hated the fact that Rose had no choice in the matter, he was actually finding himself watching carefully and assessing her movement for himself. Obviously a bit nervous about putting pressure on her injured leg, Rose tentatively leaned on it and took a small step forward. The look of worry on her face vanished with that first step, and she quickly took another. Shooting the Doctor a triumphant look, maybe momentarily forgetting the earlier nasty revelations with this new success, she took a few more steps until she reached Henny who met her with outstretched arms.

"Yay!" Henny cheered, hugging Rose close. "Good girl!" she exclaimed.

Rose smiled happily and turned to beam at the Doctor who gave her one of his most brilliant smiles back. She was walking and it didn't hurt. Thank Gods. Of course… this meant more to them than the fact that Rose had healed well. This meant they would be free tonight. The Doctor found his body release tension he didn't even realize he'd been carrying.

The creak of a door opening distracted him from his internal celebration. "Hi Mom!" a couple of voices hollered from the hall.

"Hi guys! I'm in the living room," she shouted back, turning Rose around to face the Doctor. "Okay… go, Daisy," she said, gently nudging Rose's back to encourage her to walk toward her mate. She did so eagerly, obviously happy to keep testing her strength. When she reached him, the Doctor stood to receive her with open arms as Henny did. She clung to him, smiling brightly with her tongue caught adorably between her teeth. She didn't need to say anything. They both knew what this meant.

Freedom.


	24. Incapacitated

Thanks so much to my wonderful readers… I so appreciate the comments and faves!

A short but important chapter… the next one will be longer, I promise!

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**CHAPTER 24 - Heeled: Incapacitated**

The afternoon went by quickly after the kids got home. The Doctor had hoped he'd have a chance to explain to Rose what all had happened to her at the vet's office, but just when they thought they might have a moment to themselves, one or another of the thousand children in the house would interrupt them. They even tried moving to Henny and Gard's room and hiding on the other side of the bed, but for some reason, the novelty of having a new human in the house still hadn't worn off and they were followed everywhere they went by one child or another. At one point they were both unceremoniously scooped up and made to have a 'tea party' with Pavie and a school friend. Rose hadn't been able to keep from laughing outrightly when Pavie placed a big floppy flowered sun hat on the Doctor's head and wrapped a purple shawl around his shoulders. She stopping laughing so hard, though, when Pavie's friend tied a glittering tutu around Rose's middle and did her hair up in a ponytail situated directly on the top of her head. She was further adorned with bows and a tiara, which made the Doctor grin.

Finally, the kids were called for tea, leaving the Doctor and Rose alone for the first time since she'd been accosted with the news about having been 'examined' and injected against her will. Knowing he could no longer put off discussing his broken promise to protect her, he opened his mouth to begin the conversation, only to find himself abruptly cut off.

"Doctor, before you say anything… I need to tell you something," Rose said stoically. The Doctor's mouth clicked shut. Fear washed over him. She was so distant earlier… maybe she had finally reached her breaking point. An aching pain clawed at his hearts. Gods… was she leaving him? His stomach roiled. Would she ask him to take her home after this… back to Jackie and her normal life? Despite what she'd said before, he wouldn't be surprised if she did. And what could he say that could possibly compel her to stay? Should he even try? He knew the answer to that question, but everything in him railed against it.

"I just want you to know…" she started before he cut her off.

"Rose… I…"

"No, Doctor. Please… let me say this, yeah?" she said, gently touching her hand to his lips to stop him.

The Doctor then just nodded mutely. She obviously felt she needed to say something… and even if he didn't like it, she deserved to have the opportunity to tell him what was on her mind. She had every right to leave, and he wanted to tell her that… and then try to convince her she shouldn't. But knowing Rose, she was probably trying to let him down easy, which he didn't deserve.

"I just want you to know that none of this was your fault," she said, taking his hands in hers and studying his face. The Doctor's jaw dropped a bit. What? "You think I don't know that you're beating yourself up over this?" she said, looking earnestly into his eyes. "You are. Don't deny it. And I'm sure you've come up with some self deprecating explanation as to why I should blame you for this, but I want you to know that I don't blame you. Not for anything," she said honestly.

The Doctor's mouth opened and then closed again. "But… but I promised you, Rose. I should have…"

"Doctor," she said in a tone that broached no interruption, "this was Not. Your. Fault." The Doctor sat there just searching her eyes for… something. Anger. Blame. He once again found neither. But this time, in the place of those expected emotions he found support and patience. Gods this was unfair. Why did _she_ have to be the one supporting _him_ for Rassilon's sake?! She shouldn't be. But here she was, once again being the strong one. He kicked himself mentally. Hard. If he wasn't so bloody insecure about being good enough for her, she wouldn't be feeling like she was the one who had to be strong for them. Even the thought, in and of itself, was exactly what he shouldn't be doing. Looking for another reason to blame himself instead of just being there for her.

He needed to make a decision. Right now. Was he going to wallow in self pity and self blame, or was he going to be man enough to give up those two favourite pastimes in favour of supporting the woman who needed him. The woman who supported him even when he didn't deserve it. He knew what was easier. Self pity came to him all too easily after the war. He often revelled in it, spending hours upon hours bathed in self loathing. But she didn't need him to take the easy road. She needed him to stand up for her and be more than that. And that's what he would do.

Reaching over, he tugged her firmly into his arms. "I'm sorry this happened to you, Rose," he finally said, trying desperately not to make this about him for a change.

Rose hugged him tighter on hearing his carefully chosen words. Finally she pulled back to look at him. "Thank-you," she said softly. Leaning down, he touched her lips lightly with his. It was a soft, feathery kiss that was just as much a show of affection as it was a promise. A promise that he was going to keep trying to support her as best he could.

"Now, I think you'd better tell me what happened, yeah?" Rose suggested softly.

The Doctor sighed and started in on the story. He told her about the examination and what they had seen on the scope. He told her about the ultrasound, and despite his gut's desire to avoid telling her the worst of it, he shared it all, including the possible damage to her liver and ovaries. She'd blanched at his admission of this, but she said nothing. She merely listened as he continued his story of the litany of horrors they'd put her through. He told her of the injection and what it was and any possible side effects he could think of that she might encounter. Finally, he ended with the vet's application of the topical aphrodisiac. She'd turned especially white on his sharing of this particular fact, but once again waited until he was done talking, sitting quietly just listening.

When he was done, Rose sat for a moment, obviously letting all the information sink in. The Doctor was beginning to get worried that she was somehow closing off from him when she finally spoke. "So… you can fix the damage to my liver and ovaries, yeah?" she asked, her voice small.

"I can definitely get rid of the ultrasound byproduct in your liver," he said, before letting out a breath. "I'm not sure about your ovaries, though. We'll have to assess the extent of the damage, if there is any. Which there _might not be_," he qualified, trying to emphasize the positive. He knew that if there was any damage to her ovaries that there was a very real chance that he'd not be able to do anything to help. He wasn't about to go into that right now, though. Not when it might not even be worth worrying about.

Rose nodded, worry marring her otherwise beautiful features. "And, um… this aphrodisiac… uh, how long will it last… do you think?" she said, subconsciously bringing her hands down to cover herself.

"Oh… um, well," he stammered, trying to concentrate after being reminded of her rather, uh… interested state, "should wear off in the next, well…. probably in another twelve to, um… up to twenty four hours. Give or take," he cringed, waiting for the proverbial excrement to hit the rotating arrangement of mechanically powered blades.

"Twenty-four hours!" Rose spluttered. "You mean I'm gonna feel like this for twenty-four more bloody hours!" she blurted, her face a picture of horror.

The Doctor found himself cowering a bit. "Weeelll, probably not _exactly_ like this," he said peevishly. "There's a…" he gulped, "a _slight_ possibility it could… get worse," he finished.

"What?! WORSE?!" she blurted. Then she moaned loudly. "Oh, God. Ohgodohgodohgod…" she said, hiding her face in her hands.

"But we'll be long gone by then, Rose," he said, trying to placate her a bit. "By the time you're, uh… most affected, we'll be out in the night air and hopefully that'll help," he said. He knew full well it wouldn't make any bleedin' difference, but he couldn't help himself from desperately trying to dull her fears a bit.

"Ohgodohgod…" she repeated, her head still in her hands.

Just then, a knock issued at the front door. Sanjay was here.

"Look, Rose… they're here. I figure we've got, oh, an eight point four hour trek ahead of us to get to the TARDIS. Once we're there, I can give you something to help with the, uh… problem," he said, earnestly.

Her eyes met his then and now what he was reading was desperation. He hated to have to tell her how long it would take for the effects of the aphrodisiac to wear off, but he couldn't keep her in the dark about it. She deserved to know. He should have maybe kept the, uh, increasing intensity of the drug's effects to himself, however, he thought. Now she was panicking and that wouldn't help.

"Hi, guys!" he heard Henny say at the front door. "Come in!"

Sanjay appeared first, rounding the corner fly into the living room. "Hi, Hue! I missed you!" he said, running over to them and reaching for the Doctor with extended arms. Unwilling to deny the boy a bit of affection, he stood and met the young lizard with a hug.

"Stala and me are going to play outside," he whispered too loudly, "and you and Daisy are gonna come too," he said, attempting to wink and still not achieving it.

The Doctor smiled. "That sounds perfect, Sanjay. Thanks, buddy," he said quietly, patting the boy on the back. Sanjay smiled at him and took his hand. "C'mon, let's go play," he said exaggeratedly, almost yelling… probably in an effort to divert attention from his real mission. A secret agent, this child would never be, the Doctor mused.

Reaching down to take Rose's hand, he helped her up and the three of them started heading for the back door.

"Where are you going?" Yula asked, catching her son trundling away with the humans.

"Me and Stala are going to play with Hue and Daisy outside," he said, turning to answer his mother.

"Oh. Well, maybe you should put their leashes on, sweety," Yula suggested, eying the two humans at his side. Rose squeezed the Doctor's hand a bit tighter.

"We're gonna stay in the yard," he said. "You said Hue doesn't need his leash in the yard," he said, using the steel trap memory children had for this sort of thing.

"Did I?" she asked, frowning. "Oh, well… I guess they don't really need them," she said, giving in. "Just be careful to keep the gate closed," she warned.

"Okay," Sanjay said brightly, turning back to continue his trek to the yard. The Doctor was so proud of his little accomplice, but felt slightly guilty that he might be getting him in trouble with his mother. Well… soon he'd be able to clear the boy's name, once he'd proven to these lifeforms that humans shouldn't be caged in backyards for the duration of their lives anyway.

They were almost to the back door when Henny came striding up behind them. "Wait, Sanjay… I almost forgot to give Daisy her medicine," she said, moving past them and into the kitchen. Rose's hand clasped the Doctor's tightly. This wasn't good and they both knew it.

A second later, Henny appeared with the loaded syringe in hand. "C'mere, Daisy," she said, patting her knee.

Bullocks.


	25. Released

Finally... our heroes get a taste of freedom. Wish them luck!

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**CHAPTER 25 - Heeled: Released**

_They were almost to the back door when Henny came striding up behind them. "Wait, Sanjay… I almost forgot to give Daisy her medicine," she said, moving past them and into the kitchen. Rose's hand clasped the Doctor's tightly. This wasn't good and they both knew it. _

_A second later, Henny appeared with the loaded syringe in hand. "C'mere, Daisy," she said, patting her knee._

The electric smell of adrenaline seeped through Rose's skin mingling with the sweet tang of the topical aphrodisiac and heady scent of her underlying arousal. The mixture charged the air around her making it remarkably difficult for the Doctor to concentrate on much else. Pushing his mind past this rather disconcerting wall of 'Rose', he focused on the issue happening right here and now and squeezed her hand, hoping to calm her a bit. They'd get through this… he'd be right beside her. He wasn't going anywhere without her.

"C'mon, Daisy," Henny said more insistently now, patting her leg a little harder.

Rose looked at the Doctor who gave her a little nod of encouragement. There wasn't much they could do if Henny insisted, so she might as well go peacefully. Turning back to Henny, Rose stepped forward tentatively, and the Doctor saw the large lizard's posture relax a bit. "That's it, girl," she cooed as Rose neared.

Finally reaching the big reptile, Rose stood stiffly as the end of the syringe was placed in her mouth. Cupping one of her hands around Rose's back, Henny held her so she wouldn't move while she depressed the plunger.

The Doctor watched Rose take the liquid, but noted she wasn't swallowing. Inwardly he rejoiced. She was letting it pool in her mouth, waiting until they got outside to spit it out! His brilliant girl!

Unfortunately, Henny noticed Rose's controlled intake as well. "Oh, no you don't, missy," she said after withdrawing the syringe. Taking Rose's face in two of her large reptilian hands, she forced her mouth closed and held her head tightly. Rose started to squirm, but Henny held fast. "Come on, Daisy… swallow," she growled, fighting with her increasingly distressed pet.

The Doctor, meanwhile, alarmed by the proceedings, was about to jump in and intervene when Henny did something he, and apparently Rose, completely didn't expect, and blew a huge puff of air in Rose's face. Startled, Rose swallowed. Realizing immediately what she'd done, her eyes popped open wide and her hand flew to cover her mouth.

Henny, pleased with the result of her expiratory efforts, let Rose go and stood up. "Holy drit, Daisy… what is _with_ you?!" she huffed, turning away from them to return to the kitchen counter.

Rose turned to the Doctor, looking equal measures distressed and apologetic. He moved to her side quickly and took her hand. She'd tried her best, but the big lizard got the best of her, and it certainly wasn't her fault. He tried to convey all that through a reassuring squeeze of her hand as he lead her back to Sanjay's side. With the medication now in her system, though, it wouldn't be long before she'd start to feel tired and less lucid. As if this precious girl didn't have enough to deal with, with the aphrodisiac surely making it difficult for her to be comfortable already. They needed to get some distance between them and this house before the cocktail of drugs she'd been given took complete hold so they could at least hide and wait out their effects somewhere far from here.

"Can we go now, please?" Sanjay asked Henny politely.

Henny turned and smiled. "Sure, sweety. Don't forget to close the door behind you," she reminded.

"'Kay. C'mon, Hue," Sanjay said, moving to the back door. Pulling his thoroughly discombobulated girl along by the hand, the Doctor followed Sanjay out into the yard.

It was now late afternoon and the air was still quite warm, the Doctor was thankful to note. Sanjay immediately spied Stala in the corner of the yard by the gate and ran to her. The Doctor and Rose followed hand in hand, both clearly relieved to be out of the house and that much closer to their goal. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Rose take a calming breath.

"Hi, Daisy! I got this ready for you," Stala said when they reached her. She was holding up a sequined pink satchel with the words 'Hot Stuff' emblazoned on the side. "I got food in there. I made you a hundo samwidge and I put a banana in there too. I took the peel off before I put it in the samwidge this time," Stala said to Rose seriously, "and I put in your stuffie I buyed you so you don't forget me," she said handing the bag to Rose.

Rose smiled affectionately at the girl before moving in to hug her. "Thank-you, Stala. That was so thoughtful of you," she said honestly. "I would never forget you, though… you know that, right?" Rose said, smiling up into the little reptile's face.

Stala smiled back and nodded.

"And I promised we'd visit," she said warmly, slinging the satchel over her shoulder.

"On my birthday, right?" Sanjay said, interjecting.

"I said we'd visit on your birthday and I keep my promises," the Doctor vowed placing both hands over his hearts. "And as long as it's safe for us, we'll visit, alright?" he added.

"It's always safe for you here, Hue. Daisy too," Sanjay promised.

Rose looked down at her feet and the Doctor fidgeted a bit before explaining, "Sanjay… you and Stala are very safe for us to visit. We know that. And hopefully, once your folks know about how humans should be free, they'll be safe for us to visit too," he said.

Sanjay thought for a moment and then said, "I'm gonna tell them about how humans should have their own houses. After that, you can be safe, okay?" he said earnestly.

Stala, not to be outdone, added, "Me too! An' I'm gonna tell my friends too!" she said, placing one set of hands on her hips. "I'll even tell Ms. Shantoo. She's my babysitter for when Mom and Dad goes out," she added for good measure.

"Well that sounds perfect," the Doctor grinned. He looked over at Rose then to find her smiling at both the children before them. Yup. This planet had promise with these two young creatures living on it, he admitted.

Beside him, Rose squirmed a bit, obviously uncomfortable. "Weeelll… we should probably be off then," the Doctor broached, looking meaningfully up at the little reptiles.

"Oh… okay," Hue said, moving to the gate.

Moving to the gate, the Doctor paused after quickly ushering Rose out. "Bye, Sanjay," he said, nodding. "Take care of your Mom and Dad. And be patient with Mika, yeah? Someday he'll be more fun to be around," he shared, smiling.

"Okay," Sanjay said a bit sadly.

The Doctor moved in and circled his arms around the boy giving him a quick hug. "I'll be back. On your birthday," he said, and then paused. "It might not be right on your _next_ birthday though," he cautioned. "It sometimes takes me a bit longer to get places than I plan. But I _will_ make it back to celebrate a birthday with you. I promise," he said. Normally he wouldn't have bothered worrying about the unlikely possibility that his driving _might_ not get them somewhere he'd intended, but the thought of disappointing this young, trusting lizard… well, he just didn't want to be responsible for creating a distrust in the humans this little reptile had just said he'd help on this planet.

Sanjay stood back and a smile lit his eyes. "Okay," he said again, this time a bit happier.

With that, the Doctor followed Rose and slipped through the crack of the open gate. OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The Doctor and Rose had to move especially carefully through the populated neighbourhood at first. It seemed a fair number of Danarians enjoyed evening walks, which meant a lot of ducking and hiding while the giant reptiles moved about in the streets. On at least two occasions they were nearly spotted making a dash from one hiding spot to another, but luckily, both times the Danarians were too busy talking amongst themselves to notice them.

The Doctor had Rose by the hand as they ran, not daring to let her go in case she should start to lag behind. With each hiding place, though, the Doctor tried to reduce the amount of physical contact he had with her. At first, as was usual for them, hands would touch knees and shoulders would bump as they knelt down behind a bush or a boulder together. Soon, though, he noticed Rose becoming more and more fidgety and unsettled with each stop. He finally clued in when, at one point, he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and the delicious scent of Rose's arousal surrounded them. After that, he'd done his best to avoid making contact with her. She was already uncomfortable enough without the added distraction of his proximity.

They continued moving like this for a good forty-five minutes before Rose finally started succumbing to the effects of the painkillers she'd been given and began to slow down, despite her best efforts. She insisted they keep moving, though, and while the Doctor wasn't happy with having to press her beyond what he was comfortable with, he didn't argue. If they were observed running around the neighbourhood without owners, the shelter would be called and they'd be nabbed just as they had just after they'd landed.

It was a full hour after that before they even got close to the edge of the community. In the distance they were able to make out the treeline, which the Doctor thought was the most gorgeous bloody thing he'd seen in a very long time other than the small blonde by his side. By now Rose was barely hanging on. He'd already offered to carry her. Twice. But both times she'd adamantly refused, saying she was fine and that she'd manage. They still had a good half an hour before they could truly rest, however, and the Doctor was getting worried. She was looking decidedly less pink now and she'd been noticeably limping for the past fifteen minutes. On top of that, while they'd been too caught up in running to actually talk, he couldn't help but notice the glazed look in her eyes and he knew that if he were to actually attempt a conversation with her right now, her end probably wouldn't be very coherent.

As they settled in yet another small clump of foliage before making another mad dash to hide behind a fence across the street, the Doctor checked to make sure the coast was clear before once again tugging Rose's hand to encourage her to follow. That's when he discovered she wasn't going to. Not because she didn't want to, but because she'd fallen asleep.

The Doctor looked ahead of them. Probably another ten minutes before they'd reach the tree line if they were both running. Luckily, it was starting to get dark and soon they'd be able to get further without being seen if they were very careful.

He was about to attempt to shake Rose awake when he heard someone's front door open and close and the sound of two female voices floated through the air. Looking around, he spotted a pair of full grown female Danarians headed in their direction. Rose's foot dangled out from behind the bush they were settled under and the Doctor quickly reached to pull her leg back before it was seen. Rose hissed a breath in beside him with the jarring movement of her injured leg, and the Doctor guiltily looked down to find her dazed eyes open and confused. He gestured urgently for her to keep quiet and pointed in the direction of the oncoming Danarians. Luckily, Rose just nodded and didn't say anything as the pair or reptiles passed them, chatting animatedly as they walked.

After a few moments the females' voices seemed to fade. Peeking out from the bushes, the Doctor discovered the pair had moved a good ways off now but he watched for a moment longer to be sure they weren't going to turn back. Finally assured they were gone and no one else was around, he ducked back down. He had barely gotten his head below the top layer of leaves when suddenly the nearly overwhelming scent of Rose's sexuality accosted him, making him almost light headed. Below him, Rose's eyes were closed, but she was biting her full bottom lip. One of her hands was clutching her breast and the other… the Doctor swallowed dryly… was nestled in her… uh, between her thighs. She was obviously trying to relieve some… pressure.

"Rose," he said possibly too firmly, mostly to distract himself from pulling her hand away from her centre so he could take over. "I need you to listen to me." They had to move, but that was the very last thing he wanted for her right now. What he wanted was to give her relief. Right now. He _wanted_ to gently pull her hands away and play out every fantasy he'd ever had involving her. And there were a considerable number. What he _knew_ she needed, however, was the infirmary. But there was no way he'd get her there, ever, if she didn't listen to him right now.

Rose's heavy lids opened at bit wider with his commanding tone.

"We have to move, Rose. We have to run and I need you with me. Do you understand?" he said, his voice serious.

Behind Rose's drugged eyes he thought he saw a spark. She was trying to rally for him. For them. "You can do it, Rose. I know it. We have to get off this planet for so many reasons… not the least of which is that I have so much still to show you, Rose. So much to… " he paused, looking down at her now still hands and subconsciously licked his bottom lip, "...to share with you. But we have to move. 'Cause if we don't, we might never have the chance again. So I need you to do this. For me. For… well, for us."

His words seemed to somehow penetrate her foggy mind, because suddenly her jaw set and her eyes blazed with hazey determination. Looking fully into his eyes now, she worked hard to concentrate on something before reaching up and grasping his head between her hands. "You're… I think you're…" she shook her head as if trying to clear it. Then her eyes found clarity for a moment and she said steadily, "I love you, Doctor," before fiercely pulling his face to hers, contacting his lips with a steely kiss. The intensity of the feeling behind the impulsive snog wasn't lost on him by any stretch, and just as his surprised body realized what was happening, she pulled away and stood up to her full height, nearly getting caught in the branches of the bush as she rose. Unable to take a much needed moment to process what had just happened, the Doctor scrambled up to join Rose before she was spotted.

Relief flooded him as he found there still was no one about, and he helped Rose out of the foliage, even as he tried in vain to sort out what had just transpired between them. His mind whirled with her admission as he pulled her behind him, leading her across the street by the hand. She'd said it. Out loud. He'd heard it with his own ears and now couldn't pass it off as a child's misinterpretation. He couldn't dismiss the fact that she was very clearly drugged, however. And she may have been in a similar state of mind when she'd confessed something similar to Stala as well. Did that necessarily make it untrue, though? After all… many a truth had been told through a fog of inebriation at various times in human history. Humans did have a tendency of being less inhibited when they were under the influence, after all. But what if she would regret saying it when she wasn't inebriated any longer? She'd certainly seemed embarrassed earlier when Stala mentioned what she'd said about, uh… feeling that way about him.

Ahead of them, a Danarian stepped out into the street and the Doctor quickly pulled Rose behind a large cluster of boulders decorating someone's sandy front yard. He chastised himself soundly for letting himself get distracted. He had to stay focused on keeping them safe or he'd never get a chance to discover if she'd really meant that statement or not. Looking around again and seeing no immediate threat, he got them moving again along the street as quickly as he dared with Rose in tow. She was clearly about to drop, but with his continued encouragement she hung on as they made their way a through back alleys and side streets before entering a large clearing directly in front of the trees they needed to find themselves in.

Resuming their forward movement, the Doctor noticed Rose's hand pulling more and more on his as she struggled to keep propelling herself onward. The sky was now a deep blue running into black with the trees outlined by stunning purples and pinks created by the setting sun. He hadn't seen anyone walking for a while, so they were somewhat less likely to be seen if someone passed by. He knew Rose would only baulk again if he offered to carry her, so this time he didn't offer, he just _did_.

A whooping sound escaped her as he turned and heaved her up over his shoulder. "Oi!" she yelped, "Put me down! I can do it!" she insisted, weakly whacking him on the back as he started walking.

"Rose… I don't want to argue with you, so I'm not going to. I'm carrying you and that's that," he said, moving ahead now with large strides, the satchel Stala had given Rose now bouncing against his back. "Besides, I can't think of a better way to prove to you how macho I really am," he teased, trying to lessen her ire.

Probably despite herself, Rose laughed. "You think you're soooo impressive," she slurred. He could hear the smile in her voice.

"And you don't?" he asked lightly, shamelessly fishing for proof of her interest in him. Not that he needed it now, really, he thought, his stomach once again flipping. Gods… he was like a lovesick adolescent, for Rassilon's sake!

Rose's body relaxed over his shoulder and he suddenly felt her drawing circles on his back. "You know I do," she said so softly he could barely hear her. "Have since you first grabbed my hand at Henricks." The distracting smell of Rose's 'situation' was even more prominent now, given the, uh… location of her derriere, which was currently very close to his face. She was such a distracting creature at the best of times, but right now he was actually having to work at not simply dumping her on the ground right here in the field and ripping off her clothes so his eyes could feast on her as his nose had been.

Another wave of aroused Rose filled the air, nearly making him stumble, before he felt a hand caress his pants covered buttocks. "Uh… Rose?" he squeaked, in a decided un-Time Lordy way.

"Hmmmm?" she hummed, alternating between caressing and firmly grabbing him. "You have the BEST. ARSE." she said, emphasized the words with a firm bilateral grab of his butt cheeks.

Once again, the Doctor nearly tripped, having a significantly difficult time concentrating on watching where he was going. "Rose…" he almost moaned as she ran her hands up and down his back.

"Mmmmm," she hummed, pulling the back of his shirt up so she was touching his bare skin. "Even your back is fuckin'... gorgeous. You know tha'?" she drawled, "Wanna lick it," she added, doing just that.

"ROSE!" the Doctor squawked as moisture flooded the thin pants currently separating Rose's luscious centre from the rest of the planet.

"Wha'?" she asked groggily. "How come you're the only one who gets to lick things? I've dedid… decided… that I'm gonna lick you when we get back to the TARDIS. First, I'm gonna lick your shoulders. I love your shoulders. Then, 'm gonna run my tongue down your stomach. I always wanted to touch there, you know. And here," she added, reaching down and sliding her hands under the band of his pants to cup his arse in her hot hands.

The Doctor's hearts nearly jumped out of his chest with the contact. Stopping, he abruptly slid Rose off of his shoulder to stand her in front of him, being very careful to avoid touching her where he now very _very_ desperately wanted to. Wrapping his arms around her, he steadied her before bringing his hands up to cup her face. "Rose… I… _very much_ want to continue this, uh… conversation… more than you know, in fact… but if you don't stop trying to seduce me, we're never going to make it back the TARDIS, because I'm going to ravish you right here in the field and we'll get caught."

Rose merely stood in front of him gazing up at him affectionately. Then, standing on her tip toes, she planted a kiss on his nose. "You're… so… _smart_," she said in an overly serious voice. "Alright then… I guess you'll just have to wait till we get back to the TARDIS before I can show you where else I wanted to lick," she said cheekily, sticking her tongue out between her full lips.

Unbidden, the Doctor swept in and captured that tongue, sucking it into his mouth before rolling his own tongue in to intertwine with hers.

Finally pulling back, he looked darkly down at this little minx, who seemed determined to drive him mad with want. If she wasn't drugged, he'd have probably already dragged her behind a boulder out here and shagged her rotten already, consequences be damned. But she REALLY wasn't herself now, and he did _not_ want there to be any doubt as to her true desire for something more between them. Any human would be acting as she was right now, given the cocktail of drugs she'd been administered in the last 24 hours. No. This needed to be _her_ idea. Uninfluenced by anything but her own desires.

He was about to tell her they needed to start walking again… they were only now a few minutes away from the treeline, when he heard someone shout from the road on the side of the field they'd just come from. "Oi! You!"

Turning to the source of the voice, the Doctor saw a young human male pointing in their direction, pulling on a large Danarian's trousers to get its attention. Damn!

"Rose, we have to run," he said urgently, taking her hand in his again before doing just that.

Behind them, the Doctor could hear the Danarian speaking into the equivalent of a cell phone. Oh Gods… he was calling the shelter. "Stop!" he heard the human yell. Gods… was his voice getting closer?

Chancing a look behind him, he discovered, to his horror, that the human had been let off his leash and was already halfway across the field and was getting closer. "Come on, Rose! RUN!" he shouted, pulling Rose along even harder, trying to get her to pick up speed.

The human behind them kept shouting for them to stop, serving to spur them on even faster. They were so close to the trees now. Almost there. That wouldn't stop this human, though, the Doctor knew. It might, however, give them a chance to give him the slip.

The man was quick and though Rose was doing her best, she wasn't going to be able to keep up even this pace for much longer. Just a bit further!

The man was only maybe thirty feet from them when they reached the tangle of trees. Ducking around and through them, the Doctor and Rose zigged and zagged in and around them, hoping the young man behind them wouldn't be able to track them if they just kept moving. For a couple of minutes it looked like they might have actually lost him, but that's when the worst happened.

Rose screamed.


	26. Surprised

This chapter was surprisingly difficult to write with many writes and rewrites before I was happy with it. I think it says what I want it to now.

Thanks so much to everyone reading and commenting!

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**CHAPTER 26 - Heeled: Surprised**

_The human behind them kept shouting for them to stop, serving to spur them on even faster. They were so close to the trees now. Almost there. That wouldn't stop this human, though, the Doctor knew. It might, however, give them a chance to give him the slip. _

_The man was quick and though Rose was doing her best, she wasn't going to be able to keep up even this pace for much longer. Just a bit further! _

_The man was only maybe forty feet from them when they reached the tangle of trees. Ducking around and through them, the Doctor and Rose zigged and zagged in and around them, hoping the young man behind them wouldn't be able to track them if they just kept moving. For a couple of minutes it looked like they might have actually lost him, but that's when the worst happened._

Rose screamed. The Doctor's hearts stopped as he felt her hand ripped from his. Spinning around, he found her pulled tightly against the front of the human who'd been chasing them. His eyes shone in the dim light and he looked decidedly triumphant as he held Rose flush against him, one arm tightly wrapped around her neck.

The Doctor threw his hands up in the air in surrender. Rose's hands clawed at the man's arm and her face radiated fear and confusion in her drugged state. This male seemed to be feeding on it.

"Thought you'd abandon your owners, did you?" the male said, righteously.

The Doctor kept his hands held high. "We escaped… just today," he said by way of explanation. "I'm the Doctor and this is Rose," he said as calmly as he could. He'd seen the treatment humans had had to deal with here and he also knew that captivity could change a species. He wasn't sure how long humans had been slaves on this planet, but surely there was some spark of independence left he could draw on.

The male responded to his introduction by tightening his grip on Rose's throat. Rose gasped, her face betraying her panic.

The Doctor stepped forward instinctively, but quickly retreated when the man took a step back, squeezing Rose's neck tightly. Rose's eyes widened and her mouth dropped open as she tried to draw air.

"Let her go!" the Doctor yelled.

The man didn't move. "You spoiled pets are all the same," he sneered. "Think your lives are so bloody hard," he said, looking at Rose with disdain. Then, probably seeing Rose's breathless expression, he hissed, "Suppose it wouldn't do if I brought the bitch back dead, would it." With that, he relaxed his hold on Rose's throat slightly and she wheezed in a noisy breath.

"What do you want from us… why do you care if we escaped?" the Doctor said, careful to not further aggravate this clearly volatile human.

To the Doctor's surprise, the man let out a bark of laughter. "I don't give a drit if you've just escaped from Grandma Frieda's house or if you just killed eighty Danarians in their sleep. But you two are gonna earn me a place in the human unit of the police academy. Now shut it and start moving. And don't try anything stupid… I'd prefer to bring you both back alive, but if I can't, I can't." he warned, looking significantly at Rose.

The Doctor's jaw clenched. Rose was at this madman's mercy. There was nothing for it… he'd have to follow this man's commands for now. His mind raced as he walked. He couldn't let them be taken again. There was a chance he'd be returned to Sanjay's family again and possibly Rose might be similarly returned to Stala's, but even in that unlikely scenario, it was doubtful he'd ever be allowed to see her again. Not after this.

Suddenly, from behind him he heard a hard 'thunk' and a loud grunt. Spinning around, he was confronted by a scene he'd definitely not seen coming.

Rose was staggering away from the police human wannabe holding her aching neck even as the man's body was settling into the sand at their feet. Just behind where he had been standing was a woman holding a thick tree branch brandishing it like a club.

Once again, the Doctor's hands flew up in surrender (he didn't like the idea of this becoming a habit) but even as he did, the woman threw the club onto the ground beside the prone body of the male she'd attacked.

The Doctor blinked. Well _this_ was a positive turn of events. Quickly moving to Rose, he tried to take her in his arms as she coughed, but she gently pushed him away, still trying to regain her full breath. He settled for rubbing her back as she breathed heavily trying to sate her need for oxygen. Finally able to breathe, Rose leaned into him and he helped her stand.

"I guess we should thank you," the Doctor said gratefully, addressing the woman who had saved them from capture. Now that things had settled a bit, he took in the woman in front of him who was now bending over the male she'd clocked. She had long, dark hair and was young… maybe Rose's age, and slight. Too thin, really. Her pale shirt and pants hung off her and he wondered when the last time was she'd eaten. He had a feeling it had taken most of her energy just to pick up the large branch to hit the man in the first place, let alone swing it with any force.

" 'S alright," the young woman said, giving him a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "I heard you an' this bloke arguin'. I couldn't just let him take you," she said, standing again.

"Well, we're extremely grateful. I'm the Doctor, by the way. This is Rose," he said, gesturing to Rose who gave the woman a little wave.

"I'm Onyx," the woman shared.

Onyx. Onyx! "Blimey! Onyx… I met you at the shelter! You were in the kennel next to mine. Remember? The new guy who didn't know when to shut up?" he said grinning, pointing to himself in an effort to jog her memory.

A genuine smile spread across the young woman's face. "Oh my Kila! You're _him_! The stray!" she said, jumping to him and giving him a quick hug, grinning ear to ear.

"You two met at the kennel?" Rose said, smiling from the Doctor's elbow.

"Yeah! Oh, Rose… this is Onyx. She helped me at the kennel when I first got there," he explained, beaming. Turning back to Onyx he said, "How did you get here?"

"I could ask you the same thing," she smiled. "But we should probably save the chat for later, yeah? This piece of rubbish will have his owner looking for him before long," she said, lightly kicking the man at her feet.

"Oh… right," the Doctor agreed, taking Rose's hand in his.

"Listen… I found a group of humans like us… they have a camp about thirty minutes from here deeper in the trees," she said pointing. "You're welcome to come back with me. They're a bit suspicious of strangers, but they're a good lot," she offered supportively. It was clear she felt she'd found kinship in these people and that she felt the Doctor and Rose needed help. This tiny person who clearly had barely enough to eat herself was offering to take in two people who were practically strangers. The Doctor found himself filled with appreciation once again for the human race. Yes, of course there were the individuals who were a blight on the name of their species, but there were always others who made the title of 'human' one to be proud of.

Looking down at Rose, the Doctor considered Onyx's offer. Rose was still on her feet, but barely. They could go back with Onyx to her camp for the night, but then it would be that much longer before he could get Rose to the infirmary, that much longer she'd have to suffer the effects of the aphrodisiac, and that much longer before he could put his worst fears, he prayed to every deity known to him, to rest.

"Thanks, but I think we're going to trudge on from here. Our, uh… home is in this direction," he said, pointing due west. "But, Onyx… I think you should know… there are some changes coming. Some big ones," he warned, his eyes glittering in the dim moonlight. "The humans on this planet shouldn't be living as captives. It's wrong. Just _wrong_," he said, emphasizing the word, willing her to understand the full extent of its truth. He knew, of course, that she already recognized that fact on some level, or she wouldn't be standing in front of him now. But did she understand what kind of future was even possible for her kind on this planet? Seeing he had her full attention, he continued. "I wish…" he started, looking up into the canopy of the trees to the dim light filtering in from above, "I wish you could see what humans are capable of, Onyx. You lot… you're an indelible, irreplaceable… incredible species. Worth so much more than what the Danarians have reduced you to. And _you_! You're a brilliant shining example of what can become of humans here. I mean... look at you! You're… tiny!" he said, smiling, "But not in spirit. Oh, no! You're what humans on this planet need to become. Strong. Brave. in fact… it wouldn't surprise me if, one day, you lead the rest of this lot to freedom," he said, grinning.

Onyx ducked her head and, only because he had superior eyesight, he saw a blush creep up her face. Then her brow furrowed, something occurring to her. "You talk like you're not human too. Why is that?" she asked, her face showing her confusion.

"Weellll, I'm not. I'm a Time Lord. Different species altogether," he added for good measure. He could see Onyx about to comment, so he quickly interjected, "I know… I look human. But really, you all just look Time Lord," the Doctor clarified before continuing. "Anyway… that's not the point. The point is, there are too many humans and other species on this planet who are being made to live far below their potential. But I can help you," he added, seriously. She looked up at him then, her brows furrowed in confusion. "I don't have time to explain right now, but I'll tell you that Rose and I have travelled across the universe visiting many, many places where humans coexist in harmony and equality with other species. There's no reason why that can't happen on Danaris as well. In fact," he said, starting to pace back and forth, "I'm coming up with a frankly brilliant idea that will hopefully make that happen," he announced, running his hands through his hair. For a minute he strode to and fro in front of Onyx who was looking at him with an expression of both confusion and interest. Rose just watched him patiently as she often did when he began such a rant. Suddenly, the Doctor stopped and whirled around to look at Onyx, "Aha! I've got it!" he exclaimed, his eyes boring into hers.

"Onyx, I will see you again very soon. And when I do I'll have something for you that will hopefully change the course of life for you and all the other pets on this planet. But in the end, it's you and your counterparts that will have to have the courage to help make those changes, and it's you who will have to show them how," the Doctor said, studying her. Would she take it on? She was surely capable. She'd survived this far… growing up in captivity, hoping there was more out there for her. She'd obviously found it. Watching her face for what seemed liked ages, he wondered for a moment if he'd misjudged this woman. He was asking more than was reasonable, he knew. But she'd obviously given up her life in what was possibly a comfortable home in order to find freedom and like minded humans in the wild. Would she be willing to go that one step further for the good of the humans and other captive species on this planet?

Onyx finally broke the silence. "I… but I'm just… me. How can I do all that?" she asked honestly.

He gave her a completely genuine smile then. "Onyx… you can do it because you're you… and you're _brilliant_," he said, emphasizing the last word with gusto. Rose squeezed his arm then, clearly in support of his assessment.

Onyx smiled back at both him and Rose, once again blushing. She didn't quite believe him, he knew, but he had faith. In her and in the humans on this planet. They were so much better than what they'd been relegated to by the larger species on this planet. They just needed a boost and some support to be able to show it.

Just then, the Doctor picked up on the very faint voices of Danarians in the distance. It seems the shelter workers were rather efficient on this planet, he thought unhappily. "The human catchers are coming," the Doctor said quietly, startling both Onyx and Rose who clearly hadn't heard them yet.

"I can't hear anything," Onyx said, listening for a moment.

"Trust him," Rose assured her, "if he says they're comin'... they're comin'."

"Right. Onyx… head to your camp and tell them to be ready. Can you do that?" he asked animatedly.

Onyx's eyes became set with determination and she nodded. "Yes," she said confidently, obviously energized by the Doctor's enthusiasm.

The Doctor beamed. "Brilliant," he smiled widely. "I'll be back to see you at your camp soon," he reiterated.

"Alright," she agreed. "And listen… be careful," Onyx added nodding at each of them before turning and making her way through the trees.

Watching her leave, the Doctor stood still and listened again for the sound of their pursuers. They were getting closer. Moving to take Rose's hand in his, he turned to start heading in the direction his mind was sending him. He could always tell where the TARDIS was if he concentrated. From this distance it wasn't pinpoint accurate, but the closer he got, the more confidently he could say where she was. They were about a forty minutes away right now by his estimation.

The only light now was what little filtered through the trees from the moon above. Luckily, the Doctor didn't need much lumination to be able to steer them through the underbrush. Their trek certainly wasn't made easy, however, by the twigs and sharp spikes protruding from the desert-like plants tearing at their skin and clothes. Luckily, it seemed Rose was too drugged up to care much, though it hadn't escaped his notice that she was bleeding from a number of surface wounds on her arms and legs. She was once again beginning to lag, and given the gravity of their situation and the current need for speed, the Doctor didn't hesitate this time before turning and hoisting her up again over his shoulder with no preamble.

"Oi!" she shouted in surprise. "Listen, Doctor… I hope you're not plannin' on makin' this a habit," she warned, seemingly attempting to sound ominous but managing only to sound tired. At least she didn't fight this time.

Behind them, but still a ways off, the Doctor could still hear the snapping of branches… a sign that the Danarians weren't giving up easily. "Just trying to sweep you off your feet, Ms. Tyler," he responded, once again catching the scent of Rose's Danarian induced 'situation'. The Doctor pushed quickly and resolutely ahead, doing his best to concentrate on keeping up his speed rather than stopping dead and shagging Rose Tyler until she begged him to stop. And judging by the way she smelled right now, that wouldn't be for a very long time, he thought distractedly.

Rose lazily drew circles on his back as they moved, now seemingly content to let him haul her through the trees like a sack of potatoes. They moved like that for a good while before the Doctor stopped so he could listen once again. Straining his ears, he heard nothing but the sound of night creatures moving about and calling each other in the trees. He let out a tense breath. It seemed the foliage may have proved too dense for the large reptiles to follow them through. It sounded like they'd finally given up.

Not wanting to press their luck, however, the Doctor started off again with Rose over his shoulder, keeping up the grueling pace he'd set for himself earlier. It was exactly six minutes, forty-seven seconds later when the Doctor spied the one thing in the universe that he most wanted to see right now. A few feet before them stood his brilliant blue box. His beloved TARDIS sat quietly among the trees as if no time had passed at all. That was rubbish, of course, as the TARDIS had been very keenly aware of their extended absence and her worry and relief shone through his mind as he approached. Rose must've noticed him slowing, because she suddenly squirmed and asked to be put down. Helping her back onto her feet, he heard her breath hitch when she caught sight of the magnificent Time Ship. The Doctor watched as Rose approached the TARDIS and touched her hull reverently. His hearts tugged as he felt his ship welcome her specifically. A wide smile found Rose's perfect lips as she leaned her head against the side of the ship, allowing her eyes to slide closed. "Missed you," she said quietly, probably thinking he hadn't heard.

The Doctor felt his insides tighten in an unusual way with her words. This was her home and she'd missed it as much as he had. And this would be her home for as long as she wanted. Because, as he'd already admitted, he was destined to give her whatever she desired. She'd said she wanted to be with him. And while he couldn't fathom _why_, he knew he'd never be able to do what was best for her and deny her what she professed to want most.

While he watched Rose commune with his ship, he suddenly came to a rather startling realization. He didn't have the key. His brilliant coat and it's contents had been stolen along with his freedom at the shelter and now they stood here, inches from true freedom, and they couldn't get in!

A frustrated growl started to rise in him, but just then, in his mind's eye an image of a capital 'P' shone brightly. What must have seemed to come out of nowhere for Rose actually came out of sheer joy on his part as he barked a triumphant "YES!"

Rose jumped a bit at his seemingly random expletive. Casting around them for something to stand on the Doctor was disappointed to find nothing but healthy tall trees surrounding them. Then, his clever mind finally jumped to his aide. "Rose… I need your help," he said happily, smiling down at his golden haired girl.

She obviously had no idea what he was on about, but she grinned back at him droopily anyway. He was quickly reminded of her still compromised state as he gazed down into her unfocused eyes. "I need you to help me reach the key," he said, over pronouncing the words for her benefit. Her brows knitted together in confusion for a moment, but he gestured quickly up at the sign adorning the top of his incredible ship and she suddenly understood.

"Right," she said, grinning at him adorably. "Bend down, Time Lord," she directed.

For some truly unknown reason… maybe it was her dark, hooded eyes or the way she bit her bottom lip following that command… all the Doctor could think about for a moment was throwing her against the side of the TARDIS and ripping her pants down her legs. The Doctor's eyes must've darted to her lips then, because that's when she licked them. Purposefully.

Rassilon.

His eyes focused again to find Rose staring up at him expectantly, quirking one eyebrow and sporting a cheeky grin. Weren't they supposed to be doing something right now? Oh yes! Right.

The Doctor quickly came back to reality and bent down on all fours for Rose to climb up on his back. "It's behind the 'P', Rose," he grunted as she crawled up to stand on his back, shifting her weight onto her toes to gain more height. Finally finding a little latch beside the letter, Rose pulled the shining 'P' open to find a small compartment behind it housing the very item they needed. Carefully climbing down, she helped the Doctor up and moved to hand him the key.

The Doctor shook his head lightly at her offering. "No… it's your home too, Rose. You can do it," he offered. The invitation hung in the air for a moment before Rose seemed to truly glean it's meaning. He was admitting defeat. He was… accepting her offer to stay with him. Really stay with him. A tongue touched smile lit her beautiful features then, making the Doctor's knees go literally weak. He desperately wanted to catch that pink tongue with his teeth, but he had other ideas of what he wanted to do with his own tongue after that, so he held back, knowing they had to get to the infirmary sooner rather than later.

Still smiling coyly, Rose turned her attention back to the TARDIS and inserted the key into the lock. Opening the door, she stepped in and he followed close behind her, supporting her as she made her way up the ramp toward the command centre of his ship.

"Right," the Doctor said brightly, his arm wrapped protectively around her shoulder. "Let's get you sorted, yeah?" he suggested, gently turning her away from the console and guiding her down the hallway.

"You takin' me to bed?" Rose asked in a sultry voice, her tongue tucked between her teeth again, seemingly… no, _definitely_ taunting him.

"No, Ms. Tyler. We're heading to the infirmary first, then I'll tuck you in after that," he said, propping Rose up as they walked down the hall.

"Only if you get tucked _with_ me," Rose bargained, grinning sexily.

The Doctor's lips quirked up at the suggestion. He'd like nothing more than to, uh, get _tucked_ with Rose Tyler, but that would have to wait. At least until she was 'de-drugged' so to speak. He needed to be sure it wasn't just her hormone addled body talking for her. And Gods… he desperately hoped it wasn't.


	27. Claimed

Okay… this chapter is full of plot. Some plot. Okay… not _lots_ of plot. Mostly smut.

Consider yourself warned.

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**CHAPTER 27 - Heeled: Claimed**

They made it to the infirmary quickly, as the TARDIS had done her best to help out by moving it closer to the console room. Entering and helping Rose up onto the bed, the Doctor moved to various cupboards and cabinets gathering the supplies he needed to deal with what was done to Rose.

"Doctor… do you, you know… like me?" Rose mumbled from the examination table. The Doctor stopped dead in his tracks and turned to look at her. She was lying curled on her side, her eyes closed.

"What do you mean, Rose? Of course I like you! You're brilliant. And funny. And… you've got great taste in mates!" he added, grinning at her.

Rose smiled, her eyes still shut. "Nooooooo. That's not what I _mean_," she drawled drunkenly.

The Doctor, his arms full of gear, moved to her side, depositing his findings on a table beside him. Gently pushing her to lie on her back, he readied a needle and swabbed her arm. "This'll sting a bit," he warned before sticking it in the muscle of her arm.

"Oooowwww!" she complained, scrunching up her face but still not opening her eyes.

"Sorry," he said hastily before pulling out the dermal regulator. "Shouldn't be too long before that helps with your… uh, urges," he said awkwardly. Rose merely smiled. Moving down to have better access to her legs, he gently applied the tool over one of the cuts on Rose's leg and activated it. A brief high pitched buzz emanated from it as it repaired Rose's wounded skin. This was clearly the least of her worries, but he hadn't yet gathered the courage to deal with the elephant in the room… namely her fertility. He worked methodically, healing each abrasion created by the cloying plants in the woods.

Finally, her superficial wounds addressed, he turned his attention to her leg. He needed to make sure they hadn't damaged anything further by running non-stop for the last few hours. He had to admit, the idea of Rose being given that painkiller had been frightening, but in the end, he found he was actually a bit grateful. The non-stop movement from Stala's house to the TARDIS had been taxing even on him. If she hadn't been medicated… well, she'd be a lot more aware of the newly healed state of her leg about now. Grabbing up a handheld imager, he ran it over her previously casted limb.

"Do Time Lords shag?" Rose suddenly asked out of nowhere, opening her eyes finally and looking dazedly but decidedly lustfully at the Doctor. He very nearly dropped the imager in his hands out of surprise. She must've been completely oblivious to the look on his face, then, because she kept talking, "I mean… I know you snog. Realllllly well, by the way," she added thoughtfully, licking her lips, "and I remember you saying that you've, uh… '_danced_' before, but I'm not sure you meant the same thing I did when I was talkin' about dancin'," she drawled.

Momentarily lost for words, which was something entirely new for him, he quickly pulled himself together. Best keep this clinical, he decided. "Of course we, uh… have sex, Rose. Weelll, I _say_ 'of course', but I suppose it's a valid question, given the fact that Gallifreyans were loomed for generations rather than having been conceived and born naturally. Still… my species was certainly _capable_ of, uh… 'dancing', as you put it. And yes, I fully understood the meaning of the term as you used it," he chided her lightly.

Rose seemed to think about that for moment as he studied the readings on the imager. "But… do you _like_ it?" she asked finally, frowning a bit.

The Doctor actually blushed then before answering, "Rose… what are you getting at?" he said, trying to sound playful, but embarrassingly sounding more hopeful than anything.

"I'z just wondering," she said slowly. "Cause I hope you like it. I mean, if you didn't, I could just go on wankin' forever, I guess," she said matter-of-factly, as if resigning herself to it. "But I'd rather do it with you. Have sex with you, I mean," she added, her eyes sliding closed and her lips curling up in a sly smile. "Rather be touchin' you, and suckin' you…"

Once again, the Doctor felt himself reacting to Rose's words which were almost immediately punctuated by a flood of pheramones which arousingly permeated the air around her, adding fuel to the fire.

Without his consent, his body moaned quietly as the hormones taunted him from his spot beside the bed. "Rose…" he said. It sounded like a plea and a warning all at once.

"What?" she said, opening her eyes and sliding them over him. "I reckon I might not have the courage to tell you all this torrom… tomorrow, so 'm tellin' you now," she said, knowingly teasing him by lightly biting her tongue between her teeth.

All will power was lost to the Doctor with the sight of that alluring pink tongue, and he found himself dropping the imager on the bed before leaning down and swooping in to collect her frankly magnificent tongue into his mouth. She threw her arms around his neck with fervor as his lips moved greedily against hers, tasting her brilliant Rose-ness. His hand found her fabric covered breast of its own accord, and Rose pushed up into his palm, moaning with his touch. His hands itched to reach under her t-shirt as she moved needily on the table beneath him, but something in the back of his mind annoyingly kept shouting at him to stop. Stop now.

Pulling back from her, almost staggering back away from the bed, Rose whimpered with the loss of his lips against hers. "Doctor… _please_," Rose pleaded.

Her plea did two things. First, it shot a flood of arousal through him like he'd not experienced in hundreds of years. Second, it solidified his fears that she wasn't in a place to decide this right now. "Rose… I'm sorry, I just… you're not, uh… yourself right now. I can't do this to you," he said, hating his damn morality even as it made him speak.

Rose groaned, obviously frustrated. "Doctor… _Please_ do this to me…_PLEASE_," she begged, sitting up. "You said that you _dance_... so dance with _me_," she said, now begging.

Oh, how he _wanted_ to 'dance' with her. Gods… his body was _screaming_ at him to do every single form of movement art ever created with her _right now_.

Sliding off the examination table unsteadily, Rose approached him slowly. "Doctor… I've wanted to be with you… for _years_. Did you know that? And not just as friends. I've _wanted_ you," she said, punctuating her words by reaching down to clutch the hem of her shirt in her fingers, "for a long," she pulled her shirt up, revealing her breasts, "_long_ time," she said lowly, yanking the shirt over her head with a flourish.

The Doctor's stood frozen, his eyes quickly finding her chest and, while he tried, he was completely unable to look away. His mouth went dry as his own need flew through him, making him fully erect in moments, his trousers constructing him uncomfortably.

Rose seemed to realize what effect she was having on him, as she gave him a sexy smile. Finally standing topless in front of him, Rose reached out and took the hem of his t-shirt in her hands. "And you seem to want to be with me, too," she said significantly, looking down at his straining erection through his trousers.

The Doctor swallowed, backing up slowly even as she calmly pursued him, until he bumped into the counter behind him. "Rose…" he squeaked, now sounding rather pathetic in his attempt to be the voice of reason, "I… I do… want to… Oooooohhhhh" he finished as her hand palmed him over his clothed erection.

"Sorry? What were you sayin'?" Rose asked playfully, squeezing him through his trousers.

"I… I, uh… we should, uh…" he stammered. Rose chose that moment to lift the band of his pants and slip her hot hand in and around his shaft, stroking him lightly. "Oooooohhhhh…"

"What?" she asked, cheekily, stroking him again. "We should...'?"

The Doctor's eyes had slammed shut with her latest assault. He opened them again when her hand stilled, to find himself staring down at her dark, hooded, _hungry_ eyes. "Oh… sod it," he breathed before completely giving in to his need for her. Reaching around her, he pulled her almost fiercely to him, wrapping his arms around her and sliding them down her back to cup her arse. Rose moaned loudly with his grasp, and her body slid against his needily. Lifting her, he backed her up so she sat on the edge of the examination table with him nestled between her legs as she pulled his shirt up and over his head.

Her skin felt heavenly against his as she pressed herself against him, claiming his lips and running her hands through his hair. His own hands roamed over her soft back and around to cup both her firm, round breasts in his palms. Her nipples hardened with his touch, making him suck in a hissed breath around Rose's lips. Rose moaned appreciatively as he squeezed her, making him only want to find more ways to make her do so again.

Rose, however, seemed to have her own ideas. "Take off your trousers," she ordered between hard kisses. Once again, her words sent a bolt of desire through him, making him almost ache with want. Stepping back reluctantly, he watched her watch him as he revealed himself to her. Rose looked positively ravenous, biting her full bottom lip as her eyes raked over him. He stood for a moment before moving in, not willing to be the subject of scrutiny for long, even if she did seem to like what she was seeing. He hoped she did, anyway. His anatomy was quite similar to a human's, at least to look at. Not that he'd spent a lot of time looking at male humans' genitalia. But he couldn't help but catch an eyeful occasionally on his travels. Those Romans had been notorious for public baths after all, and, when in Rome... as they say. Anyhow… he was basically the same as humans as far as he could tell. And this body wasn't too bad to look at, he figured, but he didn't want her to start comparing with any other blokes she may have seen before him. That very unwanted thought made him pause. The thought of Rose looking this way at someone else was... repugnant. A green mist seemed to shroud his thoughts and he quickly pushed them away. This was hardly the time to indulge in jealous musings, he chided himself. He had a gorgeous, half-naked, and very willing… (wasn't he supposed to be feeling badly about that?)... Rose Tyler sitting in front of him now and he wouldn't mar it with thoughts of Mickey the idiot or imagined muscle toned young men she'd surely had taken the opportunity to… Oh for Rassilon's sake. STOP. R

ose's brow furrowed, her foggy hazel eyes studying him. He knew she could sense his internal turmoil. Even dazed with lust and fatigue, this incredible woman could read him like a book. "Oi," she said softly, moving both of her small, warm hands up to cup his face lightly, making him look at her. "You're thinkin' too much," she grinned. "Just… feel," she directed, taking him in hand.

Once again, his eyes slammed shut with the sensation of Rose's hands on him and despite his treacherous mind's attempts to distract him, he moaned.

Feather light touches of her lips against his jaw and chin further heightened the incredible experience of having Rose's attentions placed solely on him. Deciding he'd definitely been over thinking… that's what he did best, after all… he tried to let go and do as she asked. Just feel. Feel _her_. On him, around him, against him.

Rose sucked on his pulses point on this neck, making him groan. Gods… she was fantastic. Deciding he needed more, he resumed his earlier activities with his hands, exploring her soft skin, her breasts, running his eager fingers through her hair and tugging lightly as he angled her face up to capture her lips with his. Rose's breath hitched with this gentle show of force. Deciding he needed to have her do that again, he wrapped his hand further in her hair and pulled it back further, giving him better access to her neck, which he latched on to. Rose's breath caught again and a fresh wave of pheramones flooded his nose.

This time he didn't hold back the feral growl he'd felt rising when he'd been carrying her through the bushes. He redoubled his effort on her neck, sucking, kissing and licking as she panted under his assault. She'd lost her tight grip on him when he accosted her neck, apparently unable to focus on anything else. The thought somehow filled him with primal pride. _He'd_ done this to her. Made her moan and catch her breath. It was _him_ she was aroused by and was panting for.

The very very sad part of all of this, however, was that she was wearing _far_ too much clothing for his liking, with her flimsy pink pants still hiding her firm arse from his eyes and hands. Deciding he wouldn't be able to wait or stand the separation of her skin from his, even for a few moments, he stepped back slightly and grasped the band of her pants in his hands. One fierce tug of Time Lord strength was all it took to tear the band and the fabric, leaving Rose open to his hands. Rose yelped a bit in alarm with his sudden attack on her clothing, but this forceful evidence of his incredible need for her made her throw herself at him with a ferocity that rivalled his own.

From there, hands and nails, teeth and lips roamed until Rose was practically whimpering with need. "Doctor… _please_..."

Rose had never really needed to ask twice for anything from him and he wasn't about to disappoint her now. Reaching down, he found her centre and slid a finger inside her. She _was_ wet for him. Oh Gods. Pulling his finger out of her, he couldn't help but indulge his latest fascination, which was tasting things of interest. And Jesus, Budda, and Ottis… she was _definitely_ of interest. Dipping his now shiney digit into his mouth and surrounding it with his tongue, he indulged. An explosion of delicious hormones assaulted his taste buds, making his knees almost buckle. For a moment he simply _savoured_, until he heard a needy whimper. His eyes had closed with the pleasure of her essence in his mouth, and on opening them, they were now were able to feast as well. Rose was flushed and her eyes were darker than he'd ever seen them. Her mouth was open in apparent fascination and arousal due to his oral exploration. He smiled and reached down with his hand again, this time sliding two fingers into her wetness. Turning his wrist so they could nurse the spot he'd heard human women were blessed with, he was reward with a keening moan from the magnificent creature he was assaulting.

Then, pulling his fingers out, he brought them up to Rose's lips, using his other hand to cup the back of her head, gently insisting she open for him. Rose's eye opened wide, but she did as he requested and opened her mouth, allowing him to slide his fingers inside.

"That's you, Rose. I want you to taste yourself. You're… delicious. Perfect," he said reverently, before pulling his fingers from her mouth and pushing his lips hard against hers.

Rose reacted as he'd hoped to his declaration; with equal need and want. After a moment, she pulled back, panting. "Want you. Now," she breathed heavily. Their eyes met in an undeclared agreement that this was going to really happen. Now.

Their lips crashed together as both of them surged forward, clasping at each other. Rose eased herself to the edge of the table where he was at the exact right height to meet her and the Doctor responded by placing himself at her entrance. Sliding himself slowly along her wet folds, he planned on enjoying the feel of her like this for another few moments, but Rose had no patience for it and inched herself even further forward to push herself against his erection so his tip entered her.

Dizziness played with his mind for a moment as the sensation of her engulfing the first inch of him hit him with ridiculous force. Holy fuck… Gods…

Rose, seemingly sensing his need for a calming moment, blessedly stilled and ran her hands up and down his chest, scratching lightly. Luckily it didn't take him long to assemble some control, and he pushed his hips forward, his hands anchoring her thighs as he entered Rose inch by blessed inch until he was fully sheathed inside her. Rose hissed in a breath with the lengthy intrusion and the Doctor did the same as her tight walls encased him. The feeling of being inside Rose Tyler was unparalleled as far as he was concerned, and he hadn't even started moving yet. Deciding to do just that, he pulled out a few inches and pushed himself back home. Rose rewarded him with a gutteral moan.

Fueled by Rose's primal reaction, he repeated the action, still hanging onto her thighs as he pulled out and pushed into her once again. Rose had now given up trying to remain upright and had leaned back on her elbows, her head dropped back so her hair cascaded down onto the table. The sight of her, so wanton, was nearly his undoing right then. But he wasn't about to do this without taking her with him. Reaching down to where they were joined, he used two fingers to feel for the 'the other' place he'd read about. At first he wasn't sure he'd found it, but a cry of "YES!" quickly assured him he had. Circling the spot with his fingers, he continued to thrust in and out of Rose's hot centre even as her chants of "YES!" and "OH GOD" seemed to flow into one another. Suddenly, with a gloriously feral cry, Rose came around him, her walls pulsing in rhythmic waves. He followed closely behind, shouting something in Gallifreyan he would never normally say in polite company. His orgasm seemed to be drawn out by Rose's still writhing body and he shuddered the last of his pleasure as she began to still, leaning over her so his head rested on her chest. Rose gave up trying to prop herself up then and let her head fall back. Her arms came around to embrace him as he panted for air.

Suddenly he felt her start to shake. At first he thought he'd imagined it, but he quickly realized with alarm that she was crying. "Rose?" he said, fear coursing through him. Did she regret it already? Hastily looking up to see what was wrong, he searched her face. But she wasn't crying. She was laughing.

Fear turned to mild annoyance in a heartsbeat. "What's so funny, Ms. Tyler, if you don't mind my asking? I don't know if you know this, but it's quite impolite to laugh after a bloke has just done his best to, uh… satisfy you," he lectured.

This merely spurred Rose on to laugh even harder, and now with voice. Despite himself, the Doctor found himself smiling. Blast this human. " 'M sorry, Doctor," she said between giggles, "I was jus' rememberin' the first day at human school… seein' the look on your face when they gave you one of them jelly babies… was like you'd just had the best sex _ever_!" she laughed adorably. "Like you'd never eatin' anythin' so glorious!"

The Doctor smiled then. "Weeellll, I hadn't… until now," he said knowingly, waggling his eyebrows. Rose, still grinning, but now at least partially in embarrassment, blushed thoroughly. "And anyway… those bloody Danarians may not know how to feed a human properly, but they do know what a good treat is," he admitted. Rose laughed again and continued chuckling for another minute or so.

Still leaning over Rose on the examination table, the Doctor sighed. "I guess I should move," he said a bit sadly.

"Wha' for?" Rose said sleepily.

"Because, Rose Tyler, _you_ need a full work-up. Not to mention some sleep," he added.

"Awwwwww," she groaned. "Can't we leave the exam until tomorrow? I jus' had the best shag of my life and now 'm so _tired_," she whined.

"The best?" the Doctor asked, a bit chuffed.

Rose rolled her eyes and patted his back affectionately. "Yeah, the _best_," she said, "but don't go gettin' all big headed about it now," she grinned.

"Who, _me_?" he said, innocently.

Rose just laughed as he helped her up into a sitting position.

"Alright. I guess the exam can wait 'til tomorrow," the Doctor conceded just as Rose let out an adorably wide yawn. "Right. Bedtime for the human."

Quickly pulling on his trousers, the Doctor looked around for and found Rose's pants, but quickly realized he'd rendered them rather useless. Looking at her a little ashamedly, he shrugged. "They seem to have, uh… fallen apart," he said apologetically.

Rose rolled her eyes and grinned. "That's okay. Wasn't fond of those anyhow," she said, possibly recalling the day she'd woken to find herself wearing them. The Doctor nodded. He knew how she felt.

Taking her hand, he lead Rose naked down the corridor to her room. Opening the door, he ushered her inside and moved to the bed to pull back the sheets.

"Just gotta use the loo," she said tiredly, yawning again as she trudged to the ensuite. The Doctor used the time to make sure her pillow was fluffed and her sheets and comforter were on her bed 'just so'. Finding himself without her beside him, he suddenly felt nervous. He'd learned over the years that time by himself was rarely a good thing, as he mind was treacherous company at best. Finally, relieved and brushed, Rose emerged freshly washed and climbed into bed. The Doctor pulled the sheets and comforter up under Rose's chin. Leaning down, he smoothed her hair back and kissed her forehead.

"Night, Rose," he said a bit timidly before reluctantly standing up and beginning to move away from the bed.

"Where you goin'?" Rose asked suddenly, as if him leaving was completely unexpected.

"I'm, uh… I thought…" he started.

Shooting him a 'Really?' look, she patted the bed beside her. "You're not gonna get all weird now, are you?" Rose asked, eying him.

"Who… me? Naaahh. I'm against weirdness. I'm pretty much the patron saint of the non-weird, me," he said, confirming her suspicions.

"Listen, Doctor… please don't do this. Please. I know 'm not quite all there right now, but I wasn't lying when I said I've wanted this for a long time. And I was in my full right mind back then. Well… most of the time," she added, probably recalling Cassandra's unwanted intrusion in her mind. "You know what I mean," she said, a bit flustered, trying to explain herself. "What I'm tryin' to say is… this…" she said, gesturing between them with her hand, "... this was important to me, yeah? An' if you regret it… " she said, tears obviously beginning to prickle in her eyes, "... then fine. But don't regret it for my sake. 'Cause this has been my dream practically since I met you," she said candidly.

The Doctor felt his breathing stop. She thought he hadn't wanted this. Of course she would. It's not like he'd done much to assure her otherwise. I mean, he'd told her he wanted it too… but he'd been actively backing away from her at the time. Not very reassuring for her.

Moving forward to sit on the bed beside her, he stroked her cheek and looked at her square in the eyes. "Rose Tyler… I've wanted this too. So much. You're… my best mate. But you're so much more than that. You're… well, you're Rose Tyler. That name encompasses… galaxies of meaning for me. And I've wanted to be more for you for a long time… I just… I didn't think I could. For so many reasons. But," he said shaking his head lightly, "here we are. And I _want_ to be more for you now. If you'll let me," he said softly but assuredly.

Tears finally did fall now on Rose's cheeks, but a glorious tender smile accompanied them. Sitting up, she threw her arms around him and he grasped her back just as tightly. They sat that way for a minute or two before Rose's fatigue once again made it's presence known with a jaw cracking yawn.

The Doctor chuckled, pulling back. "Sleep," he ordered, gently helping her lie back down.

"Stay with me?" she said, her eyes never leaving his.

"Always."


	28. Relieved

Okay, I _honestly_ hadn't planned to start this chapter out the way I did, but the muse want what the muse wants...

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**CHAPTER 28 - Heeled: Relieved**

The Doctor stayed with Rose while she slept, managing to catch a few hours rest himself while he held her in his arms, her head pillowed on his chest. The rest of the night he passed studying her in her sleep and coming up with possible future scenarios, all of which involved her being naked and some of which wouldn't be allowed on more than a few planets. He'd had to distract himself more than a few times and had to convince himself on numerous occasions during the night to let her sleep. Her poor, battered body had still to metabolize the rest of the painkiller and the hormones she'd been pumped with, not to mention the fact that her leg would definitely benefit from some rest and healing time. So he lay beside her, playing absently with her hair and occasionally pressing soft kisses to the top of her head.

Eight hours in, the Doctor found himself stroking her back softly, his hand grazing the top of her arse. His mind had once again wandered to the realm of nudity and this time his body didn't comply with his admittedly feeble attempts to quell his desire for her. Reaching down just that little bit further, he softly cupped a firm cheek and squeezed gently. Rose hummed in her sleep, making him tingle in ways he'd once thought he'd never feel again. While continuing his gripping exploration of her bottom, he ran his other hand lightly along the arm she had slung over his middle. Gently sliding his hand up her arm, he ran it around her shoulder and back down her arm again.

Rose stirred beside him, wiggling her bottom a bit and rocking her pelvis against his leg. Her movement sent a zing of desire through him and his hips bucked slightly in anticipation of her hips possibly rocking against his. Rose hummed appreciatively, her eyes closed but her mind fully awake as evidenced by her increased breathing rate and the fact that her hand was sliding down his abdomen toward his… Oooooohhhh…

The Doctor's head pushed back further into the pillow as his hips moved in counterpoint, pushing his now full erection into Rose's hot hand. Her grip was… fantastic, her hand stroking him firmly as if she owned him… which she _did_, of course, for all intents and purposes. It wasn't until he felt her slide down under the covers that he realized her full intention.

Opening his eyes, he threw the covers back to reveal a brilliantly naked Rose Tyler with her lips hovering over his straining erection. Ohhhhh. "Rose… you don't have to… I don't want you to feel…"

His words were abruptly halted by a frighteningly overpowering sensation. Rose had slid her full, luscious lips over the tip of him and was currently rolling her tongue over his head, giving special attention to the tight underside of his shaft. The Doctor had heard that humans did this, but… well, he'd obviously never experienced it himself, never having actually been with a human before Rose. He wondered distractedly if Rose would like something similar done to her. Not _this_ obviously, but… well, the equivalent. He'd have to read more about that, he decided. Or he could just… explore the subject himself. He hoped she wouldn't mind him, uh… learning… with her.

"Doctor," he heard from the vicinity of his middle.

Realizing suddenly that he was no longer in Rose's full, uh… possession, he looked down.

Rose's eyes were dark and hooded, her lips wet. "Doctor… you're thinking again," she said, a smile quirking up the corner of her beautiful mouth.

Oops.

"Relax, yeah? Just… enjoy," she smiled.

Swallowing thickly, he nodded dumbly. A twinkle played in Rose's hazel eyes before she turned her attention back to his very obvious desire for her. Cupping his sack with one hand, she brought her mouth again to wrap around him. The explosion of glorious sensation once again gripped him and this time he allowed himself to revel in it. Rose's tongue swirled and flicked between gentle nibbles and sucks, and it wasn't long before the Doctor felt himself cresting. "Rose… Rose!" he shouted, knowing he'd not be able to hold back much longer. His warnings didn't seem to deter her, however. In fact, they seemed to spur her on, making her movements even more fevered in response. "I'm gonna… I… I'm gonna cum…" he warned again, panting breathlessly, his need for release building into almost painful intensity. Rather than pulling back, Rose instead moaned loudly, still encasing him in her hot mouth. The needy sound coupled with the almost stinging vibration of it was his complete undoing and he released. Filling her mouth, he shot his climax into her with almost wild abandon. Rose continued her attentions until she drew the last shudder from him, finally releasing him with a soft 'pop'. The Doctor lay limply on the bed, absolutely dumbfounded. He'd never, _never_ expected that particular activity to be so pleasurable. Now he knew why human males seemed to fixate on it so much.

Rose climbed her way up his body and snuggled against his chest as she'd done all night. The Doctor, now just starting to get his breath back, despite his oh-so-impressive respiratory bypass, wrapped his arm around her.

"That was… that… Rose Tyler, was bloody brilliant," he shared, grinning in a post orgasmic daze.

Rose chuckled lightly, softly drawing circles on his chest with her fingertip. "Glad I could be of service, Sir Doctor," she grinned.

"Turnabout is fair play, however," he said, leaning up on his elbow and gently pushing her onto her back. He sensed she was about to turn down his offer, but he didn't give her the chance. Now that he'd experienced the pleasures of oral stimulation, he fully intended to discover if she might find it as stimulating as he had.

Sliding his hand down her torso to her centre, he gently encouraged her to spread her legs for him. A little moan escaped her with his insistence, as she did as he'd nonverbally requested. A smile quirked on his lips then. She seemed to like him being a bit… controlling. Well, that wasn't a huge stretch for him, unfortunately. It was a trait he'd managed to hang onto despite his many regenerations. He could feel himself then starting to head down a less than arousing mental road, and he realized if he kept analyzing things she was going to call him on thinking too much again. Determined, he made a concerted effort to stuff his self doubt away for a later time and focused instead on moving to kneel between Rose's legs. Encouraging her to scootch up the bed to lean against the headboard, he nestled himself down between her thighs. She smelled of soap and pheramones and… Rose. He felt himself harden again with the fresh assault of her delicious hormones on his senses. He couldn't wait any longer. He _had_ to taste her again. But this time, it would be straight from the source.

Experimentally he dragged his tongue up from the bottom of her slit to the top, getting his first taste of her since last night. Rose's hips bucked against him, even as she obviously tried not to move. Smirking with manly pride at having elicited such a deep response, he brought his hands up to steady her hips before bringing his tongue back to her centre. Pushing his nose against her, he pressed his tongue into her as far as he could go. Rose's keening moans filled the air even as her hips involuntarily attempted to press her heat into him further. Pulling his tongue out, he repeated the action, this time pulling out and lapping at the exquisite juices she'd released for him. Rose's moans and breathy words of encouragement floated over him, but he was so wrapped up in exploring her that he barely noticed. Remembering the reaction she'd gotten earlier when he pressed and circled her at the apex of her sex, he brought his tongue to the same spot to see what kind of response he could elicit. The results were just as fantastic as they had been last night with Rose now mewling and practically shouting his name, the name of her deity, and a few profanities. He knew she was close now, as her breath was coming in hot sharp pants and her eyes were squeezed tightly shut. Recalling how he'd reacted when she moaned against him, he did the same, humming deeply against her as his tongue continued it's unrelenting attention. Right then, Rose seemed to shatter around him. Not wanting to miss the feeling of her walls spasming around him, he slipped a couple of fingers inside her and stroked her front wall as he continued pressing his tongue against her clitoris. Rose screamed anew, her eyes flying open as he nursed her orgasm to its conclusion.

Finally spent, Rose collapsed back against the headboard bonelessly, breathing heavily. It was the Doctor's turn now, to crawl up her body as she sat limply trying to catch her breath. Tugging her down so she lay flush on the bed, he wrapped himself around her, grinning inanely.

"You seemed to like that," he said, a bit smugly.

Rose grinned and laughed. "Seemed to? Think I just bloody announced that I did to the whole universe," she giggled breathily.

"Suppose you did at that," he grinned back. "Soooo… is that something you, uh… do often? Humans, I mean? Uh… orally, that is?" he asked innocently, trying not to sound too hopeful.

Rose turned to look at him, seemingly to see if he was being serious. Suddenly he felt a bit self-conscious. Obviously it was. "Yeah… it's pretty, uh… common, I guess. Do Time Lords not, er… do that then?" Rose asked, her eyes inquisitive.

The Doctor took a deep breath before answering, "Weelll, Time Lords… Gallifreyans… we rarely ever did, uh… _any_ of this, really. I mean, like I said last night… we do, uh, _dance_, but it just wasn't really common. Basically it was one of those things we did and never really talked about. Was considered a bit shameful, really. Giving into base desires like that. Though, I honestly can't see why _anyone_ wouldn't want to do that _all the time_ if given the opportunity," he said wistfully. "Mind you… you're, um… much more… _interactive_ during sex than Gallifreyan women were. Honestly… I don't know if that's just _you_ or if all humans are, uh… enthusiastic participants like you are...but I have to say… that was truly beyond any of my wildest sexual dreams, Rose Tyler… and I've had a few over the years."

Rose's cheeks blushed adorably at his admission. "Wait…" Rose said, working out something in her head, "does that mean that you've never... been with a human before?" she asked, her eyes wide.

The Doctor shook his head. "Nope," he said, popping the 'p'.

Rose looked at him incredulously.

"What?! It's not like I run around the galaxy shagging every species I come across, Rose," the Doctor said, a bit taken aback by her reaction.

"No… it's not that," she assured him quickly, "It's just… you've been around a long time, and you've travelled with so many of us… humans, I mean. I just thought maybe you and one of them might have… at one point or another. That's all," she said, stroking his chest.

"Oh. No. I'd thought of it, occasionally, but never seriously. Too complicated. Anyway… never really felt close enough, uh… _that way_ with any of them," he concluded.

Rose tilted her head to look up further to get a better look at him, a lovely smile lighting her face. "Yeah?"

"Yeah," he confirmed, smiling at her affectionately and tightening his arm around her.

Seemingly pleased with his answer, Rose sighed contentedly, resting her head on his chest. "I suppose we should go make lives better for the 'pets' on this planet then?" Rose said after a while.

"Mmm," the Doctor hummed affirmatively. "I have some ideas about that, actually," the Doctor shared.

"Didn't doubt it," Rose grinned, leaning back to prop her head on her elbow in order to see him better. "So… what's the plan?"

"Weeelllll, I don't want to spoil the surprise, but it involves scavenging for supplies and meeting with the locals. But first, there's one blonde human female who needs a thorough check-up in the infirmary." Rose opened her mouth to argue, but he wasn't going to have any of that. "There's no point in even _beginning_ to argue, Rose Tyler. You're frankly lucky I didn't wake you in the middle of the night to drag you to the medbay. Weeellll… probably would have shagged you first and _then_ dragged you to the medbay. The point is… you're letting me examine you," he said decisively, disentangling himself from her arms.

"Oh, alright," she acquiesced, begrudgingly sitting up and throwing her legs over the side of the bed. "But I want pancakes after this," she warned. "With that syrup you found on that planet… what was it called? Oh yeah… Ploxis."

"I agree to your terms," he said solemnly. The Doctor found the trousers he'd been wearing, having been discarded on the floor in their passion the night before. He grimaced. He didn't much fancy putting those things on again. Come to think of it… he needed a shower as well. "Think I'll just pop down to my room for a tic. Meet me in the infirmary in, say, 15 minutes?" he said, hoping that gave her enough time to do what she had to do as well.

"Sounds good," Rose smiled, now heading toward the loo. He grinned brightly back. This felt so… domestic. But _right_ at the same time. If he were honest, nothing had felt this right in a long time.

He allowed himself a moment of contentedness and relief. Having had too much time to himself while Rose slept, his mind had conjured some terrible scenarios of what the morning might look like, waking up with Rose. Some involved her not talking to him. Some involved her crying and telling him to get out of her room. Some involved Rose cursing at him, demanding to be taken home. Of course, he'd allowed himself to entertain the possibility she might not actually hate him this morning. That she might feel the same way he did about it. That she might have actually _wanted_ what happened last night like she said she did.

And despite all the terrible scenes his mind had conjured in the night, his body's need for her ultimately won out over his fears and he'd taken a chance. He touched her in hopes that the better scenarios were a possibility. And thank every deity he could think of, Rose hadn't turned him away. In fact, she'd even, um, entertained him earlier… so she obviously wasn't regretting what they did last night. Her dazzling smile now filled him with something besides relief. It was hope. Something he hadn't allowed himself for a very, very long time.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The Doctor managed to shower, freshen up and dress in twelve minutes, leaving him waiting in the infirmary for another ten and a half before Rose finally made her appearance. Human women took _so_ long to get themselves ready… really it was amazing they ever actually made it out of the TARDIS to visit anywhere. He used the time, though, to calibrate the imager to look for ultrasound byproducts and to set the sonic up to eradicate them. None of it would require anything invasive, thank Gods.

His mind flitted back to the image of the scan of her ovaries back on Danaris. They had been healthy and perfect for a human. Gods willing they were still in the same shape.

Rose's appearance in the doorway sent an odd spark of excitement through him. He really was truly a giddy schoolboy when it came to this incredible girl. He sighed inwardly and shook his head. What was she _doing_ to him? Well… whatever it was, he wasn't about to complain. He hadn't felt this alive in years. Too many years.

Patting the exam bed, he invited Rose to climb up, which she did. She was wearing a bodice fitting sundress that fit her almost too perfectly, he thought. Really, he should've suggested she just wear a housecoat, as he was going to have to examine her anyway. After suggesting she just take off said sundress, she'd asked for his help undoing the zipper, which, unsurprisingly led to touching, which in turn, led to snogging. It wasn't long before both of them were divested of their clothing again and were shagging enthusiastically on the examination table. Finally, once again sated… at least for the time being… he climbed off of his now thoroughly relaxed human, and did what they'd come in here to do in the first place.

He began the scans with her liver. There were, indeed, ultrasound byproducts present, which he was able to eradicate without difficulty. Deciding to recheck Rose's leg, he did so, noting some muscle deterioration, but nothing serious. Grabbing up a muscle cell stimulator, he wrapped it around her injured limb and activated it. The muscles should regain full strength in about ten minutes.

The Doctor took a deep breath, his hearts now filling with dread. He needed to look at her ovaries. Picking up the imager once again, he adjusted the settings to look specifically for damaged human ovarian tissue.

He caught Rose's worried expression as he double checked the calibration on the device. She was biting her lower lip, staring up at the ceiling. He wanted to say something… maybe reassure her, but didn't trust himself not to sound hollow or ingenuine, so he didn't. Instead, he reached over and ran his hand along the side of her face. She looked at him, seemingly grateful for the support, even though nothing had been said out loud.

Placing the scanner over her abdomen, he ran it over her left ovary. The results filled the screen within seconds. Pulling the device up to study them, the Doctor squinted at the readings.

"What? What is it, Doctor?" Rose said, worry etched on her face.

Slowly he lowered the device and looked at her with a pained expression. Guilt prickled inside him, threatening to overwhelm his resolve to think of her first instead of indulging in his own self recrimination. "It's… there's some damage, Rose," he said lowly.

"Okay… what _kind_ of damage? Can you fix it?" she asked, obviously doing her best to stay calm.

"It's because of the ultrasound. It's localized to your ovary, so there's no damage or threat of damage to the surrounding tissue, so that's good news, at least," he said, scratching the back of his neck, determined to remain strong for the woman he was caring for. In that vein, he made his eyes rise to meet with hers before sharing the worst of this news. "And no… I can't fix it. It's permanent, I'm afraid," he said, unable to keep his feelings from permeating his voice.

Rose swallowed, seemingly taking this in. Silence filled the room for what seemed like ages before Rose finally spoke. "Can you check the other one?" she asked in a small voice.

Nodding, the Doctor stoically placed the device back on her belly and dragged it over where her right ovary was situated. Once again, the readings came back quickly and the Doctor pulled the imager up once again to study it.

And smiled widely.

Rose, having been anxiously studying his expression, let out an actual gasp of relief.

"Healthy!" he crowed triumphantly, showing her the readings. Rose grinned and looked at them. Finally she just shook her head and looked back up at his beaming face. Obviously the little screen just held gobbledigook for her.

"So, that's good then, yeah? I can still have children?" she asked, still grinning, but worry slightly colouring her voice.

"Oh, yes!" the Doctor barked happily, pulling her up from the bed into a bone crushing hug which she returned. "Hundreds, if you want! Weellll, I say _hundreds_ but I'm exaggerating, of course," he grinned inanely, squeezing her tightly. "I wouldn't want _hundreds_ of children anyway. Unless they were all like you, that is." Pulling back from her, merriment twinkling in his eyes, he suddenly realized what he'd said. Rose's mouth was frighteningly shaped into a little 'o' and her eyes were wide with surprise.

Backtracking quickly, he blurted, "Not that I just _assume_ you'd like that… with me. Or anyone, really. I mean… maybe you don't fancy ever having children. Let alone having children with an alien. I just, uh… got caught up in the… the excitement there. Of finding out you're, um, able to, you know… one day… if you decide to… have children… with someone…"

"Doctor… STOP," she ordered, cupping his cheek, her expression solemn. His ramble ground to an immediate halt. She took a deep breath before saying, "I'll be honest, Doctor… I had decided a long time ago that I wouldn't ever have children," she said evenly. The Doctor felt himself freeze. Gods… he'd just made himself look like such a complete git. "Mostly because, well, I decided a long time ago that I was never gonna leave you. And, like I said last night… I wasn't even really sure if you, uh… 'danced'... or that you'd ever even consider being with me that way, so I decided not to dwell on it and I let it go. But Doctor… are you saying… really saying… that you'd want to have children with me?"

Recalling his feelings watching Rose with Stala, the Doctor realized that he had really been considering it. Becoming a father again. He could have a life with Rose Tyler. She was going to let him. And while he couldn't give her a completely normal life, he _could_ give her this if she wanted it.

"Yes, Rose. I am. But I don't want to pressure you. I'm not… I mean, I know you don't want me being hard on myself, but I _know_ I don't deserve what you're offering me. Your forever. But Gods… I'll take it, whether it leads us to having children or not. I'll gladly take whatever you'll give me, Rose, and I'll be grateful for whatever that is," he said honestly.

Rose's eyes were clouded with tears now and she stared at him with unconcealed affection. "Doctor… I love you," she choked, a tear falling down her cheek.

The Doctor's hearts seemed to cease all activity for a moment. She was here, sitting before him. This wasn't secondhand or drug induced. It was _her_. His own eyes filled with tears. "And I suppose, since you're barmy enough to have me," he grinned, his eyes shining, "I can finally say this to you, Rose Marion Tyler. I love _you_ too." Nothing he'd ever said had been more true.


	29. Fixed

Okay. So… I may have mentioned that this would be the last chapter? Well, I lied. It ended up being ridiculously long and there was still more that needed saying, so this is now the penultimate chapter! I'm worried it's a bit heavy on the explanation side of things at the beginning, but I couldn't think of any way around it without making the story last another 30 chapters!

So, one more chapter after this. I promise this time!

Thank-you to all who have stuck with this story and who have been so incredibly supportive throughout!

* * *

**CHAPTER 29 - Heeled: Fixed**

The Doctor stepped out of the blue box that was home and stood in the sandy front yard of Sanjay's complex. He had insisted on checking out the area carefully for possible threats before he let Rose leave the safety of the TARDIS. He had several good reasons to do this, he knew, though he'd yet to explain any of them to Rose. He also knew he was being overprotective, but found he quite literally couldn't help it. For Rose's part, she was being very patient with his constant need to ensure she was safe at all times. For now, she was putting up with him being a bit possessive, but he didn't fool himself into believing she'd let that go on for long. Oh well… as long as she'd put up with it, he'd do it. He'd probably do it afterward as well, if he was honest.

This was the first time they'd set foot on Danaris since they'd left it behind roughly two months ago, their time. It seemed like yesterday, though, as the Doctor looked around him, admittedly feeling uneasy. He had checked, of course, on the TARDIS data base to ensure he had the dates right relative to when they'd first stepped on this planet. He'd wanted to land exactly on Sanjay's birthday, a little over a year after they'd left. That's when he'd realized the first reason he needed to be extra vigilant for their safety on this trip. Somehow on their first jaunt here he'd managed to bollocks up their year of arrival. Often, little errors like that resulted in nothing more than them looking decidedly out of place in Queen Victoria's caravan, but occasionally it meant a whole lot more than that. Like ol' Rickey getting accused of murder. He hoped this wasn't one of those times.

A niggling unease crept up his spine as he stepped away from the TARDIS. They were very near a significant fixed point in time. His time sense told him this, and it set the Doctor's teeth on edge. He knew some important historical events were looming for the people of Danaris...the TARDIS database had confirmed it. Sadly, the information available was frustratingly vague. All the more reason he felt justified in feeling uneasy. But he had made a promise. Sanjay would be expecting him and he had made a vow that he'd not disappoint the boy or give him a reason to be sorry for helping them escape. He owed him that much.

That didn't make it any easier for him to actually let Rose leave the safety of their home, however. He knew, though, that she'd never let him go without her. Not after their experience having been separated on this planet before. They'd invested so much in helping the humans and other enslaved species here. She deserved to be able to see what had come of all that. if anything.

Surveying the area, he caught sight of a number of 'Missing Human' signs posted on lamp posts and on the sides of bins holders. He smiled. Perhaps there had been some progress after all. His thoughts brought him back to memories of their last days with Onyx.

Before leaving, he had contacted Onyx, and arranged for he and Rose to meet with her and her small group of escapees. They spent a good deal of time discussing the implications of freedom for the humans and other species currently living under Danarian roofs. Despite what he'd told Onyx before, about change being a certain outcome of his escape, he'd realized, with Rose's guidance, that in the end it wasn't up to him. That didn't change his feeling, however, that freedom was needed for all the inhabitants of this planet, but after a few heated discussions with Rose, he begrudgingly admitted the decision had to come from the very beings who were going to have to live with its outcome.

Handing over control of this decision had been difficult for him. These reptiles had very nearly cost him his life and he and Rose's future. How many had suffered and died here due to mistreatment, abuse or even dumb mistakes such as he'd encountered with the lethal painkiller? They needed to see the folly of their ways. They needed to understand that what they were doing to the species under their control was wrong.

But Rose was right. The idea of freedom needed to be owned by the people who lived here. And that's where the Doctor's worries had been seated. There was a very good chance that many individual 'pets' would be against what he was proposing. The police human wannabe had sadly been an example of someone who would rather turn against their own than risk their status as it stood. Then there were those who simply would baulk at the idea of having to fend for themselves. On the other hand, this small band of humans were themselves a testament to the fact that there were pets out there who didn't want to live as slaves to another species.

After lengthy deliberation, going over the pros and cons of freedom along with its inherent benefits and risks, Onyx and her companions agreed that freedom had to be given as an option to others who lived enslaved on this planet. Right now, she and her friends were free themselves, but still felt threatened with capture at every turn. Even then, they all agreed they were better off out here on their own than under the control of the Danarians. And they knew there were others out there who craved what they had, despite its discomforts and threats. Of course there would be those who would turn it down, but they felt strongly that they needed to be offered a choice.

The Doctor didn't hide his relief at their decision and Rose had hugged his arm tightly on hearing it, also seemingly relieved at the outcome of their talks. Now came the practical part of this endeavor. The 'how to'. This was where he was in his element. He'd been formulating this idea in his head since he and Rose made it back to the TARDIS, refining it and planning its execution. After sharing his idea with Onyx's now enthusiastic group, he and Rose retired to the TARDIS, but not for rest. His plan required that he and Rose not only dredge through piles of supplies in the TARDIS's storage rooms, but also that they make a few covert jaunts to various reclusive areas of the planet in order to find all they needed. It took a few days, but finally, they managed to locate everything they required. From there it took him another week to assemble his treasures into the devices he hoped would literally change the world for the captives of this planet: universal translators.

Meeting again with Onyx and her small group of escapees, he took time to show them how to use the translators he was giving them. He also made sure to show the more technically inclined of the group how to build more using materials available on the planet, with the ultimate goal of providing translators to anyone who wanted one. With these devices the humans and other species currently being housed on Danaris Prime would be able to communicate directly with their captors. For the first time in this planet's history, the two species would have access to information both had never considered possible.

He and Rose spent many days and evenings talking with the small group of renegades, going over strategies to begin what would likely be a long transition for both the Danarians and the 'pets' on this planet. In the end, it seemed Rose and the Doctor's stories of their success in communicating with Stala and Sanjay had made an impact and the group came to the consensus that they would first try 'coming out' to the children of Danaris. The idea had merit in many respects. It was certainly less dangerous for the humans involved, there was less chance of the movement being 'quashed' by the less open minded adults on the planet, and it opened the door to permanent changes in the future. The downside was that it would take a long time before the enslaved species here saw real freedom. Onyx had very wisely suggested that the wait would be worth it if it meant lasting and peaceful change. And she'd been quite passionate about the 'peaceful' part of the equation. Yet another reason the Doctor felt so confident about her being a leader here. It would be a long, hard road, but the Doctor had no doubts that Onyx would be able to carry it off. She had taken it on like the leader he knew she could be. By the time the Doctor and Rose left, she'd rallied her group together and had begun to implement the plan they had agreed to.

Coming back to the present, the Doctor shook his head. He only hoped Onyx and her group had managed to stay safe themselves in their effort to improve the lives of other humans and enslaved creatures on this planet.

Taking a deep breath, a shiver ran through him. This was not where he should be right now. Definitely not where Rose should be either. He could feel it. And the longer he stood on the surface of this planet, the more sure he felt. He was about to turn around and tell Rose he'd changed his mind about this visit when said human looped her arms around his waist from behind, making him almost jump out of his skin.

"Rassilon, Rose!" he yelped, "Are you trying to regenerate me?"

Rose, surprised by his extreme reaction, jumped back from him. "Whoa! Sorry! I didn't mean to scare you," she now giggled, moving back in to hug him from the front this time.

Allowing her to embrace him, he pulled her close, nestling his nose in her hair.

"What's wrong? You're all tense," she said, squeezing him a bit tighter.

"Yeah… well, I've just got a bad feeling about this. Something's…"

"Hue!" a boy's voice shrieked from the entryway of the building. A massive streak of green and scales flew at him, and before he'd even processed what was going on he was being lifted into the air in an enthusiastic hug. Rose laughed from the ground below him as his legs swung from side to side with the boy embracing him and rocking back and forth.

"I missed you SO MUCH!" Sanjay exclaimed, finally allowing the Doctor's feet to touch the ground.

"Hi Sanjay!" the Doctor smiled brightly at the boy. He'd managed to grow over the year he and Rose had been away, and he now stood to be a good eleven feet tall. "Blimey! You've grown! I remember you when you were only _this big_," the Doctor said, holding his hand up above his head as far as it would go. Rose laughed and so did the young lizard.

"You came back for my birthday!" Sanjay clapped in excitement.

"Sure did, young man!" the Doctor agreed.

"Mommy and Daddy are going to be so happy to see you guys! And Stala's here too… she came for my party too!" Sanjay grinned taking the Doctor's hand and pulling him toward the building.

The Doctor, digging his heels into the sandy ground, pulled against him. "Hang on, buddy," the Doctor said, grounding them to a halt. "I don't think we can stay. I just wanted to make sure I saw you on your birthday, so you know I haven't forgotten about you. I wanted to make sure you knew how much we've been thinking about you and how much we… well, how thankful we are. You saved us. And now Rose… I mean, Daisy and I are happy. Because of you and Stala," he smiled affectionately up at the young reptile. "But now that I've told you… I think we should probably go," he said, casting a protective glance back at Rose.

"But… but you didn't even see Stala!" the boy lamented, looking bereft. "And Mommy and Daddy… I told them you were gonna come!"

"Sanjay… I think that's kind of a bad idea. I mean… do the adults know? That humans can talk, I mean?" the Doctor ventured.

Sanjay looked thoughtful for a moment. "Well, not _all_ of them know. Some of my friends' parents know. And Mommy and Daddy know," he shared.

"You told your Mom and Dad? What did they say?" he asked, truly wondering what their response had been.

Sanjay looked a bit defeated at that. "They didn't believe me. But they said I could believe what I want. And I _know_ humans can talk. I even talked to my friend Unav's human and she told me that lots of humans can talk but they just talked different before. She said now more humans can talk Danarian, so pretty soon you can all have your own houses!" he shared enthusiastically.

The Doctor smiled. So Onyx and her group had managed to start distributing the translators. A sprig of excitement grew in him. They'd done it. They'd started things moving.

"Anyway… maybe you could just… talk to Mommy and Daddy too. Then they'd believe me," he said, his eyes large and entreating.

"I don't know, Sanjay… if your folks don't believe it yet… maybe we should just let them find out on their own, yeah?" Sanjay stared back at them, crestfallen. It was then he felt Rose's hands slide around his arm and squeeze slightly. "Couldn't we just follow him into the hall, Doctor? I'd like to see Stala… maybe he could just tell her to come out for a minute to say 'hi'? We'll stay close to the door, yeah? Just in case we have to make a run for it?" she said, her own eyes pleading. Bullocks. He could never deny her anything.

"Alright. But only for a few minutes," the Doctor acquiesced.

"YAY!" Sanjay sang, bouncing on his feet. "Come on!" he said gleefully, taking the Doctor's hand again. The Doctor sighed and took Rose's hand in his other one before allowing himself to be led into the building.

Reaching the door of the flat, Sanjay threw it open and ran in, leaving Rose and the Doctor in the hall. "Mommy! Daddy! Look who came to visit! I told you they'd come!" he exclaimed from the direction of the great room.

"Sanjay… No!" the Doctor shouted after the boy. Bullocks. Time to go. Turning to direct Rose to head for the entrance, he was halted by the sound of a loud crash. Lumbering into the hall after Sanjay, Lim had caught sight of the two humans standing outside his door and promptly dropped the bowl of crisp like treats that had been clutched his hand.

"Lim, what is it?" Yula's worried voice shouted before she made it to the door and saw her long lost pet and his mate backing away from the door of her flat.

"What the…" Lim said, his mouth agape.

There was a sudden flurry of movement in which Yula moved her son aside and took a few strides toward the Doctor and Rose, her arms outstretched. The Doctor, his body already poised to protect Rose should he have to, pushed her back further toward the entrance to the building and quickly followed.

"No! No, Mommy!" he heard Sanjay say from the flat door. "They just wanna talk! That's all!" he shouted.

Rose seemed to want to turn back around, but the Doctor pushed her onward until they'd exited the main doors of the building again. There was no way he was going to knowingly put her in harm's way. Not now. Not ever, if he had his way.

"Doctor, shouldn't we…" Rose started before being interrupted by the sound of the building door opening behind them and the sight of Yula striding quickly toward them. Turning to face the Danarian approaching them, the Doctor stood protectively in front of Rose while quickly backing them away from the reptile and closer to the doors of the TARDIS.

Seeing her former pet frightened and retreating, Yula stopped. Trying another tactic, she kneeled and cooed, "C'mere, Hue," while patting her knee.

All the commotion had caused more Danarians to spill out from the building, including Henny, Gard and Stala.

"Daisy!" Stala shouted. She made to run toward Rose, but her mother held her back, obviously worried that her daughter would spook the humans and scare them away.

"C'mere," Yula tried again, inching toward the Doctor and Rose slowly now.

They were only a few feet from the TARDIS now, but Yula would be on them certainly before they would both be able to enter. Rose might be able to make it inside, and the TARDIS would take her back to her mother's flat should something happen to him. But what if Yula grabbed her too before she could escape? In a microsecond, he made a decision.

Taking a deep breath, he said, "Don't think so, thanks," loudly enough for all the Danarians to hear.

Just then, a resounding 'click' issued in his mind. It wasn't disorienting or painful, but the meaning of it was profound. This was a fixed point in time. Right here. He was part of it. Gods… he was the cause of it.

While he was deeply shocked by what he'd just felt, the Danarians around him were clearly all quite shocked as well, for a completely different reason. Yula looked frankly comical standing frozen in front of them with her mouth hanging open. All the reptiles behind her reacted similarly except Stala and Sanjay, both of whom were smiling smugly.

This was all meant to be. It was the fixed point he'd felt earlier. And whether he wanted to believe it or not, he was the cause of whatever was going to happen next. So... in for a penny… "Right. Uh… Hello," the Doctor said, giving Yula and the group behind her a little wave. "I guess introductions are in order," he said confidently, putting on a bright smile. "This is Rose… but you know her as Daisy, I suppose."

Rose waved at the group and said a little 'Hello' which drew a hushed intake of breath from a number of onlookers.

"I'm the Doctor… previously known as 'Hue'. We just popped by to say Happy Birthday to our friend Sanjay… Happy Birthday, by the way," he added jovially, waving at the young lizard. Sanjay grinned widely.

"But… but…" Yula stammered, still frozen.

"Yeah… bit of a shock, I'm sure. But then, your kids _did_ try to tell you," he reflected, nodding in the Sanjay's direction. Sanjay smiled smugly up at his mother who had darted an incredulous look his way.

"Anyhow… " the Doctor continued, darting an unsure look at Rose, who gave him a small smile and nodded her support, "I really hadn't planned on chatting…but since I'm here and I'm rather notorious for chatting, I might as well. Wouldn't want to sully my hard earned reputation," he said taking in the continued look of amazement on the faces of the adult Danarians in front of him. Along the street, a few passers by had also stopped, apparently unable to believe what they were hearing. A human _talking_. And not just babbling. Properly _talking_.

He took a deep breath, steeling himself for what he knew had to be said to this growing audience. "I know you mean well...most of you…" he added darkly, darting a look at Diro, the young Danarian who'd so cruelly broken Rose's leg, "...but I've gotta say… what you're doing here... enslaving other sentient species for your amusement…" he shook his head. The fact that he even had to explain this concept to anyone was beyond sad. Taking a deep breath, he continued. "Humans… and the rest of the species you're keeping as pets on this planet… they need to be given the choice as to whether they want to stay with you or if they want to be free."

Frank amazement filled the faces of more than a few of the Danarians in front of him. A few of them looked downright affronted by the idea.

The Doctor ploughed ahead with increased passion, fueled by their reactions. "I know this will come to a shock to most of you, but humans live happily and self sufficiently on many planets and have even invented space travel. An incredibly smart species, humans. They've managed to colonize planets across the galaxy on their own, they've terraformed unlivable space rocks… they've even figured out basic time manipulation. I'm not sure how their species ended up on this planet, but however it happened, they've clearly never had the chance to prove that they can and should be self sufficient here. Humans and all the other species you currently see as pets… they deserve to live freely. They deserve to choose who they mate with and if and when they want to have children," he said significantly, glaring now at Henny. The woman merely stared back at him, seemingly still in shock.

"Now," the Doctor said significantly, "I'm taking my mate… No. I'm taking the woman I love, and we're leaving. Because we're sentient beings who are capable and who deserve to be able to make our own decisions. And we've decided we want to live as free people. Not all of your pets might want that… but some of them will. And they deserve the chance to decide for themselves, don't you think?" he asked.

Leaving his words hanging in the air before them, the Doctor turned and guided Rose to the TARDIS doors and ushered her inside. Then, leaning out the blue panelled door, he said, "Bye, Sanjay. Help make life good here for humans, okay? They need you. You too, Stala. It's up to you and your friends now to make this a better world," he said, smiling.

Stala grinned and nodded.

"Bye… Doctor Hue," Sanjay said, smiling.

The Doctor's hearts clenched. Grinning back affectionately, he felt tears prickle in his eyes as he gave the boy a little watery smile before ducking inside and closing the doors.


	30. Revelation

This is it! Thank-you SO much to all my fantastic readers and especially to those who've taken a moment to comment - I'm eternally grateful. Writing this fic was a truly satisfying experience! I'm halfway through writing my next fic, a Broadchurch/Doctor Who crossover called 'Identity', which I'll begin posting here soon, in case you're interested :)

Enjoy!

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**CHAPTER 30 - Heeled: Revelation **

Flying up the ramp, the Doctor danced around the console, readying the TARDIS for flight. Rose watched him from the jump seat, obviously a bit concerned for him. He probably looked a bit manic right now, he realized, but he couldn't find it in himself to try to look more reassuring for her.

"Doctor… what's wrong?" she asked, concern lacing her voice.

He didn't answer right away. He needed to get them off this planet. Throwing the last of the levers that would finally put them safely into the vortex, he let out a massive sigh and ran his hands down both sides of his face.

"Doctor?" she tried again.

The Doctor took a deep breath and let it out slowly before turning to his brilliant girl. She looked positively beautiful sitting there under the softly pulsing lights of the time rotor. "I have to check something Rose. And I'm… I'm not sure…" he stammered.

Rose stood and moved to him, putting her hand on his shoulder. "Hey… it's okay, yeah? We're here and we're safe. And the Danarians… I think you said what needed saying," she said, trying to reassure him.

He wanted to pull away from her… he didn't deserve her support right now. Not if what he suspected was true. He didn't pull away though. As was so like him, he weakly gave in to her touch and took all he could from it before resignedly pulling the monitor in front of him. Typing the command that would get him the information he was looking for but probably didn't want to see, he pressed enter and waited. Before him scrolled the data he'd requested. And it confirmed his fears.

"What?" Rose asked, worried. He realized then he was trembling. Gesturing to the screen before them, he slid away from her touch and slumped onto the jump seat, nestling his head in his hands.

Moving to read the screen mounted before her, she took a moment to take it in the information so objectively and impartially presented on it. "What does this mean, Doctor?" Rose's anxious voice finally said from her spot at the console. "There was a civil war? On Danaris?"

The Doctor pulled his hands down his face again and nodded dejectedly.

"When? Doctor… talk to me, please," she entreated, moving to sit stiffly beside him.

He couldn't look at her. Staring at his own feet he said, "I landed us a century early, Rose. When we first arrived… I'd landed us a century too early. I knew there had been a civil war, but I planned for us to arrive well after it had ended," he lamented, running his hands through his hair. "The war… It happens not long from now. Within months. I thought… I felt it, Rose. It was a fixed point in time. I knew I sensed one looming when we landed, but I had no idea… I didn't know we were part of it."

"Wait… do you mean that we… that because we visited…"

"Yup," he said resignedly. "It was a nine year civil war, Rose. Between humans and those Danarians who supported human freedom against those who didn't. All because I couldn't keep my bloody gob shut," he said, anger at his own stupidity bubbling to the surface.

"But, Doctor… the humans were already talking to the Danarians on the planet. Why would it make such a difference if you did?" she asked gently.

He stood then, fisting his hands at his sides. "Because it was _me_ saying it, Rose. That's why. Because when I talk, people listen. And I didn't just talk to the children, Rose. I bloody let the cat out of the bag too soon by involving adults directly. That wasn't the _plan_. That wasn't what Onyx and the other humans wanted. They wanted this to come from the children… from the Danarians themselves. But, no. I was so caught up in my own… in… in…" he stopped, realizing why he'd done what he'd done. He'd done it for Rose. So she wouldn't be caught. So _they_ wouldn't be caught.

Rose stood to stand in front of him. "You did it for me, didn't you?" she asked softly. "So I wouldn't be taken again," she added.

Losing steam, his shoulder slumped and he nodded.

"So this is my fault then," Rose said quietly, realization dawning.

The Doctor's head flew back and his eyes pierced hers. "No. No, Rose. This is not your fault. This is on me. On _my_ shoulders, not yours," he said, his eyes never leaving hers.

Rose stared back at him, incredulous. "What? How can you say that? How _dare_ you put this all on you. Are you saying you forced me to come with you to visit Sanjay? To go into that building to see Stala? If I hadn't come… if I hadn't insisted on seeing Stala... none of that would've happened. Tell me I'm wrong!" she challenged.

The Doctor stood speechless for a moment. "Rose… this wasn't your fault. How could you have known this was going to happen?"

Rose's expression suddenly became softer. "And how could you?" she said matter of factly. "You didn't know your words would have the impact they did. Not until after you said them. Am I right?" she asked.

"But… I knew… I knew it wasn't the plan…" he started.

"Doctor… _am I right_?" she asked pointedly.

Reluctantly, the Doctor nodded.

"And this event was a fixed point in time, yeah?" she asked.

He nodded again.

"Well… that means it _had_ to happen. Whether you wanted it to or not. Just because you understand time and travel in it doesn't mean you can always change it," she said wisely.

The Doctor's eyes rose to meet hers. She was right, of course. It was a fixed point. It did have to happen. He just… he couldn't reconcile the fact that he was the key factor in it. If only… if only…

… but then, there really was no way around it, was there. Had he not been there to have the moment play out as it did, reapers would surely have shown up as they had every other time he'd attempted to cheat fate. He was truly a pawn here. And he hated it.

"Besides that… you were just trying to protect your mate, yeah?" she smiled sadly, taking his hand lightly in hers.

The Doctor felt a blush tinge his cheeks and he made himself look away. "Not just my mate," he said quietly.

"What?" Rose said beside him.

"I said… not just my mate. I wasn't just trying to protect my mate," he said, raising his eyes to meet hers.

"Wha…" Rose said, staring at him. A very small smile quirked on his lips despite the gravity of the situation. "What do you mean?" she finished.

The Doctor, knowing that this was going to come out sooner or later, let his gaze drift down to Rose's middle before once again bringing his eyes up to find hers.

Rose's breath caught. A shining smile lit his face and he was unable to stop it. He couldn't help it. One bright, glorious light was shining through the darkness of this moment and it enveloped him.

After a moment, he realized Rose was still staring at him, her mouth agape. "Rose… breathe," he said anxiously, actually beginning to worry for her safety if she didn't inhale soon.

"But… but…" she stammered, "How… how…"

"Rose Tyler… I would think that you'd be quite familiar with the 'how' by now," he grinned wolfishly, encasing her in his arms.

"But… how do you know already? I haven't even missed my… you know," she said, gesturing toward her middle.

"Rose… I can smell when you. I can smell when you ovulate, I can smell when you're aroused, I can smell when you break wind… mind you, I think even other galaxies can smell when you break wind…" he said, his face a study in seriousness. Rose giggled and slapped him rather heavy handedly on the arm for his troubles. "Of course I can smell if you're pregnant," he finished, now grinning.

Rose stood there smiling for a moment, probably letting it sink in before sliding a hand over her abdomen. "I'm pregnant."

"Yup," he said, knowingly popping the 'p' the way he knew she liked it. "We'll have to do some tests to see exactly how far along you are, but I'd guess you're somewhere between twelve or thirteen days along," he smiled.

"Oh my god," she said. Then she looked up at him. "How long have you known? Why were you keeping it from me?" she said with a bit of a suspicious tone.

"Oh… only for sure for the last three days. Before that, I thought maybe it was just an unusual ovulation. But then, the other night when I licked you under your… uh… when I licked you," he said, taking in her adorable blush before continuing, "I could taste it and I knew for sure," he said. "I was gonna tell you, but then I got distracted… you know, with, uh… things…" he smiled. "You give off the most _amazing_ scent now, you know," he added, waggling his eyebrows.

Realization dawned in Rose's eyes. "Is _that_ why you've been so, uh… energetic? I thought maybe it was some weird cyclical Time Lord thing or something," she said grinning at him sexily.

"Nah. It's all you, Rose. You're my weird cyclical Time Lord thing," he grinned goofily before leaning in and pressing his lips to hers. A passionate snog ensued, and only after he sensed Rose's oxygen level dip slightly did he pull back.

He knew he shouldn't be feeling joy right now. An entire planet had undergone a bloody civil war. Humans and Danarians had died. It had ended with eventual freedom for the humans and the other enslaved species on the planet, but the price had been high. He knew all that, and while he would never be at peace with how things happened, he also thought he might be able to let go of some of the incredible guilt he felt about it someday. If that fixed point in time hadn't involved him, he would've had to let it happen anyway. But it _did_ involve him, making him feel responsible for it even though he couldn't have done anything to prevent it. He and Rose had become part of events when the Danarians captured them in the first place. They were merely playing their parts out to the end, as painful as it was.

"Oi," Rose's voice floated into his thoughts. Looking down, he found her delicious hazel eyes gazing up into his. "You're thinking too much," she said, bringing her hand to the back of his neck. Pulling him down, she kissed him again. She seemed to be pouring every positive feeling she had into it, making him feel unspeakably honoured to be on the receiving end of such intensity. Deciding that she needed to know how much he reciprocated those feelings, he pulled her body flush against his and tentatively grazed her mind with his as his lips slid against hers.

He felt Rose's surprise at the intrusion, but she didn't pull away. He let himself float, hovering over her consciousness but not dipping in. After a moment, he felt her open herself up to him. Completely. He felt himself gasp, both physically and mentally. He'd hoped she'd let him just dust her mind with his feeling for her, but instead, she'd completely let down all her guards and laid herself bare to him. The honour he'd felt at having her feelings reflected in her kiss was now amplified tenfold with this unbelievable show of trust. Giving over to it, the Doctor allowed his veneration of her to wash through into her mind. He let her feel his passion for her, his constant worry for her, and his undying love for her. Rose's breath caught and this time she did pull back. Her eyes were brimming.

"Do you… do you really feel that way about me?" she asked, a tear sliding down her cheek.

The Doctor brushed the tear away softly with the back of his hand. "Oh no, Rose. I feel much more that that. But I couldn't very well show you all of it at once… wouldn't want to overwhelm your adorable human brain," he smiled.

Rose gave him a watery smile back. "I love you, Doctor," she said, hugging him close and pressing her face into his chest.

"And I love you," he said, pressing a soft kiss to the top of her head. "I love you both."


End file.
